Student killed in Indonesian school collapse

Latest incident involving Islamic boarding schools underscores need to improve safety

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A student was killed when the roof of a building at a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in East Java collapsed, the latest in a series of deadly accidents that underscore the urgent need for improved safety at pesantren in Indonesia.

Situbondo police chief Rezi Dharmawan said the incident occurred at about 1am on Oct 29 at the Syekh Abdul Qodir Jailani Islamic boarding school in the Basuki subdistrict, Situbondo regency.

“At the time, it was raining heavily with strong winds. All the students were asleep when the roof of the girls’ dormitory suddenly collapsed,” Senior Adjunct Rezi said on Oct 29, as quoted by Kompas.id.

“There were 19 students inside the collapsed room, and 14 were transferred to medical facilities. Two of them required intensive care, and at around 5am, one of the students succumbed to her injuries,” he added.

Mr Rezi said police had visited the scene and launched an investigation, with preliminary findings suggesting that the collapse was caused by extreme weather. The authorities also plan to coordinate with relevant parties to inspect the structural integrity of the buildings at the pesantren.

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said the incident served as an important warning to improve the safety of pesantren buildings across Indonesia.