Indonesia school collapse: Death toll rises to 14

The death toll from a school building collapse in Indonesia has climbed to 14, after rescue teams recovered more bodies from the rubble on Friday. Dozens of students remain missing, and officials warn the number of victims is likely to rise further.

The disaster struck on Monday when the prayer hall at the century-old Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, caved in during worship. The collapse buried hundreds of people, most of them boys aged 12 to 19. Female students, who had been praying in another section, managed to escape.

Rescuers initially searched for survivors by hand but shifted to heavy machinery on Thursday after detecting no further signs of life. On Friday, crews used jackhammers and excavators under scorching heat to clear massive slabs of concrete, while the smell of decomposing bodies filled the air. By evening, nine additional bodies were recovered, bringing the confirmed toll to 14, with nearly 50 students still unaccounted for.

Suharyanto, head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said recovery operations were expected to be completed by Saturday.

Survivors described the moment of the collapse as terrifying. Thirteen-year-old Rizalul Qoib, one of 104 survivors, said he had just begun prayers when he heard a rumbling sound.

“I stopped praying and ran when the floor shook. Suddenly the roof fell on me. It went dark, but I heard someone shouting, ‘This way!’ and followed the light until I got out,” he recalled.

Dozens of survivors are being treated in hospital for head injuries and broken bones.

Police revealed that while the school had originally been a two-storey building, two additional floors were being added without official permits. Investigators believe the foundation was too weak to hold the extra weight and gave way during construction work.

School officials have not yet issued a statement.