Death Toll Reaches 63 in Indonesian School Collapse with Several Students Still Missing

Search and rescue personnel are positioned among the debris of the collapsed Indonesian school facility.

The fatality count in the Indonesian school building collapse increased to 63 on Monday, according to officials, as recovery teams extracted more bodies from the structural debris that fell last week. A section of the multi-level Islamic boarding institution on Indonesia's Java island collapsed while over 150 students were assembled for afternoon prayers. Approximately six young students remain missing.

"We are hopeful that recovery operations can be finalized today (Monday), and we will then return the remains to their families," stated National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operations director Yudhi Bramantyo during a Monday press conference.

This incident represents Indonesia's most lethal disaster in the current year, according to Budi Irawan, deputy head of the national disaster agency (BNPB).

Investigators have been assessing the collapse cause, but preliminary findings suggest that inadequate construction standards may have been a contributing factor, according to expert analysis.

The families of those still missing consented last Thursday to the deployment of heavy machinery, following the conclusion of the 72-hour "golden period" when survival chances are highest.

Insufficient construction regulations have generated widespread safety concerns regarding building integrity across Indonesia.

In September, at least three individuals died and dozens sustained injuries when a building hosting a prayer gathering collapsed in West Java.