Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School collapse

Al-Khoziny, also known as Pondok Pesantren Al-Khoziny (or Pesantren Buduran), is a long-established Islamic boarding school located in Buduran, Sidoarjo, East Java. It was formally founded in 1927 on land owned by KHR Mohammad Abbas Khozin, though accounts indicate that students were already studying there as early as 1920. The pesantren is known for its traditional stance, including intensive study of classical Islamic texts (kitab kuning) and the sorogan and bandongan methods of instruction. Over time it has grown to include formal education levels and has developed affiliated higher-education institutions.^[11]

Al-Khoziny is reported to have over 2,000 santri (students), spanning levels from junior high up through formal higher education.^[12]

The musalla at Al-Khoziny had been under development for about nine to ten months prior to its final stages. According to the pesantren's leadership, the structure was planned as a three-story building, plus a deck (slab/roof) at the very top.^[13] The lower floor(s) were intended for daily prayer (musalla functions), while the upper floors were to serve as meeting or gathering halls for santri. The construction was part of a broader renovation project of the pesantren, which had proceeded in stages over the preceding months.^[14]

Materially, the building employed reinforced concrete, steel or iron reinforcement, and temporary supports such as bamboo or scaffolding used during the concrete casting process.^[15] The topmost floor and its roof slab (deck) were in the final casting phase when the finishing works were underway.^[14] The outer walls were reportedly still unpainted, the facade uncompleted (bare concrete or structural elements visible), and the building's appearance showed signs typical of mid-construction state.^[15]

Another notable aspect was the involvement of santri (students) in some construction duties. In addition to professional workers, some santri were assigned to assist with tasks such as mixing/concreting on upper levels, sometimes as a form of penalty for not participating in certain pesantren activities.^[16] Time of day also featured in the construction schedule: the leadership stated that on certain days, the casting work was done in the morning and completed by midday for that stage of work, especially for the roof slab or at the topmost layer.^[15]

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In the days and hours before the collapse at the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, the musala building was undergoing significant structural work, notably the casting (pouring of concrete) of its top floor or roof slab. It had been under construction for about nine to ten months. Some students reported hearing sounds of falling small stones as the concrete work was in progress.^[17] One of the student witnesses noted that during the mid-morning or afternoon concrete casting work:

Indonesian: Ada truk ngecor, mau ngecor yang paling atas … langsung full.

[There was a concrete truck ... they poured the very top part all at once.]

there was no staged or partial filling; rather, heavier load was being placed all at once on the upper floors.^[17]

Another witness, a student named Wahid, recalled that the prayer room seemed to sway briefly before the major failure occurred, suggesting that there may have been perceptible movement in the structure when load was applied.^[18] Despite these warning signs, there is no widely reported indication that formal warnings were issued or that construction was paused. The building remained in use for prayers and student activities even while construction was ongoing.

On the afternoon of 29 September 2025 about 15:00 WIB, while santri were performing Asr prayers in the musala (prayer room) of Al-Khoziny, eyewitnesses report a sudden onset of the collapse. According to a 16-year-old santri, Nanang Saifur Rizal, the event occurred during the third rak'a of the prayer; “there was a sound like bamboo falling, then a tremor,” and almost instantly, the building began to fall apart.^[19] Another santri, Muhammad Rijalul Qoib (13), said he heard what sounded like a truck pouring concrete at the topmost level, then without gradual increase or staging, the load was applied fully and the middle part of the building gave way first.^[20] As parts of the structure failed, concrete slabs and supports collapsed, with beams, bamboo scaffolding and other construction materials falling into the prayer area. Putra (13), a survivor, described being under falling debris:

Indonesian: Banyak batu berjatuhan, bambu-bambu penyangga juga ikut ambruk.

[Many stones fell down, and the supporting bamboo poles also collapsed.]

and being knocked down to his back by a piece of metal roofing. He was trapped, unable to move much, under darkness and dust.^[21] Others in the middle saf were thrown into disarray: dust filled the air, structural components collapsed fast, and immediate panic as santri tried to scramble away from the collapse zone.^[22]

Another survivor, Muhammad Wahyudi (13) from Surabaya, recalled that he lost consciousness at first, and when he came to, found himself surrounded by concrete debris, unable to move. Life under the rubble was grueling with no clear sense of time, no light, and only the faint presence of another friend also trapped nearby.^[23]

Indonesian: Pas sadar, saya lihat di sekitar cuma reruntuhan beton. Di bawah kaki saya ada teman yang masih hidup juga, tapi sama-sama nggak bisa bergerak. Kami cuma bisa berbaring, suasananya gelap dan pengap.

[When I came to, all I saw around me was rubble and concrete debris. Beneath my feet was a friend who was still alive too, but neither of us could move. We could only lie there, it was dark and stifling.]

Rescue operations began almost immediately, though hindered by unstable debris and the risk of secondary collapse. Teams including SAR, police, and locals responded to urgent calls, digging through the rubble, and checking small voids for survivors.^[24] Some students were pulled out alive after being trapped for long periods (e.g., Putra was trapped for three days).^[21] The structure failure is often described as “pancake model” by officials: multiple floors collapsing directly onto one another, creating layers of debris that made immediate rescue more difficult.^[25]

Several rescue agencies were mobilized almost immediately after the collapse. Over 400 personnel from Basarnas, TNI-Polri, BPBD, PMI, volunteers, and other related agencies worked day and night in 24-hour shifts.^[26] Damkar Surabaya also deployed its Heavy Duty Rescue unit, which included specialized equipment such as “first camera” and “life detector” tools that could detect victims in tight or obscured spaces under the rubble.^[27] The search was particularly urgent because dozens of students were believed to be trapped, many between the ages of about 12 to 19.^[28]

Rescuers worked around the clock, including during the night. They dug through debris, called out names, and used tools, sensors, and thermal-sensing drones to try to detect survivors.^[29] Aid such as oxygen, food, water, and IV drips was provided to those who were reachable through small gaps or voids beneath the rubble.^[30] The rescue teams also conducted assessments to decide when and where heavy machinery like cranes could safely be deployed.^[31]

One major challenge in the operation was the risk of further collapses or shifting debris. Rescue officials frequently emphasized that vibrations or pressure from heavy equipment could worsen the situation. Because of this, even though heavy machinery (cranes, excavators) were on standby, their use was delayed until it was assessed to be safe and after obtaining consent from families of the missing.^[32] Another complication was that some victims were trapped in very narrow spaces, such as near main columns, side columns, and under slabs that had compressed under the weight of the load, leaving only small voids. Access to these spots required tunnel-like passages, special cameras, and careful manual excavation.^[33]

On 1 October, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Sumenep Regency in East Java, approximately 200 kilometers from the school. This significantly hampered ongoing rescue operations at the collapsed school. According to Mohammad Syafii, head of Basarnas, the quake compacted the debris, reducing the available space for trapped victims. He noted that what was initially a 50-centimeter gap between rubble was compressed to just 10 centimeters, increasing the difficulty of accessing survivors.^[34] The earthquake also heightened concerns about the structural integrity of the remaining building, as vibrations from the tremor could potentially cause further collapses. Rescue teams had to exercise extreme caution when operating heavy machinery, such as cranes and excavators, to avoid additional harm to both victims and rescuers.^[35]

After several days after the collapse, rescue operations had shifted focus from trying to find survivors to recovering the deceased, once officials believed the “golden period” (typically about 72 hours after collapse) had passed. By then, signs of life beneath the rubble had not been detected through the advanced tools being used.^[36] The teams then worked to safely clear debris, coordinate use of heavy equipment with safety in mind, and ensure victims could be recovered and given proper treatment or burial.^[32]

Disaster victim identification (DVI) teams faced significant challenges in establishing the identities of the deceased. Traditional methods such as fingerprinting became unreliable due to decomposition, while dental records were largely unhelpful because many of the victims had similar dental development. Clothing and personal effects also failed to distinguish individuals, as many wore identical school uniforms. As a result, DNA testing was adopted as the primary means of identification, families provided DNA samples which were then matched with remains transported to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Surabaya.^[37] By 6 October, authorities had officially identified and handed over 17 bodies to families, while others remained under investigation.^[38]

As of 7 October 2025, the cleanup operation at the collapse site has been completed. Basarnas declared that all areas of the rubble had been cleared and no further victims were believed to remain. All recovered remains and body parts have been transferred to the DVI team, and further management of the site, including debris disposal and safety assessment, has been turned over to the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure.^[39]

Investigators, led by the East Java police together with structural engineering experts from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) and the Ministry of Public Works, have focused on possible overloading of the structure as the primary cause. According to the BNPB, the building was originally two stories (plus roof structures), but the collapse happened during ongoing expansion works that added additional slabs and floors. These extra loads appear to have exceeded the capacity of vertical supports (columns and footings) and the foundation, leading to failure.^[8][40]

Investigations have flagged issues of unauthorized construction work and lack of necessary permits or formal oversight. Local officials and BNPB noted that the expansion being done on the upper stories was carried out in a manner that did not evidently follow regulatory safety and building code standards. The foundation and supporting columns were not upgraded or reinforced appropriately to handle the added weight, and there was no visible evidence that proper structural assessments or engineering design adjustments were made prior to or during the construction.^[41]

Analysts and engineers quoted in the press have characterized the collapse as following the so-called "pancake" pattern, where floors collapse onto one another in a vertical stacking of slabs.^[42] This structural mode makes internal voids (gaps) very small, complicating rescue efforts and amplifying damage.^[43] The compressed debris arrangement also increases the risk of secondary collapse as rescuers attempt to penetrate the structure, so investigation teams stressed that debris removal had to be done with extreme caution.^[44]

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said that of some 42,000 pesantren in Indonesia only around 50 have valid building permits, and it remains unclear whether Al-Khoziny was among them.^[45]

According to the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), there were a total of 171 victims in was the collapse, consisting of 104 survivors, 67 deaths, and one person who returned home.^{[46][47][4][6]} Of the casualties who survived, 14 people are still under treatment in hospital, 89 people were allowed to go home and one person was referred to a hospital in Mojokerto.^[48] The SAR Mission Coordinator, First Admiral TNI Yudhi Bramantyo, explained that the process of searching of victims took a long time as the joint SAR team had to first lift and destroy building materials.^[49]