The number of casualties from the school building collapse in Indonesia has climbed to 54, officials confirmed on Monday, as rescue teams continued searching for more than a dozen missing individuals.
The multi-storey school building on Java Island collapsed unexpectedly last week while students were gathering for afternoon prayers.
“As of this morning, we have recovered 54 bodies, including five body parts,” said Yudhi Bramantyo, operations director at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), during a press briefing.
Rescuers have been working nonstop through the debris of the boarding school. “We hope to complete the recovery efforts today and return the victims to their families,” Yudhi added.
According to Budi Irawan, deputy head of the national disaster agency (BNPB), this tragedy marks Indonesia’s deadliest disaster so far this year.
At least 13 people remain missing, and the search continues.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the collapse, with early findings suggesting that poor construction quality may have played a major role.
Families of the missing allowed the use of heavy machinery on Thursday after the 72-hour “golden period” — the critical window for finding survivors — had passed.
Concerns over lax construction standards have grown across Indonesia in recent years. In a similar incident last month, three people were killed and dozens were injured when a building hosting a prayer event collapsed in West Java.