Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - More than 50 victims of the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school (pesantren) collapse have been identified by the East Java Police's Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, two weeks after the tragedy.

Chief of the East Java Police’s Medical and Health Department, Senior Commissioner Khusnan Marzuki, said at Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya that 53 out of 67 victims had been identified following the successful identification of two additional victims on Sunday.

The first victim was identified as Ahmad Haikal Fadil Al Fatih, aged 12, from Bangkalan District, East Java, through DNA and medical analysis.

The second, identified using DNA, medical records, and personal belongings, was Syamsul Arifin, aged 18, also from Bangkalan District.

Marzuki said the team is still working to identify victims from at least 11 remaining body bags, with the process taking place in Jakarta.

"There are body parts in the 11 body bags, we do not yet know the exact number of victims," he said, adding that DNA sampling was being used due to the condition of some remains.

The four-storey Al Khoziny pesantren building in East Java’s Sidoarjo District collapsed on September 29 while undergoing renovations. Hundreds of students were performing congregational prayers when the collapse occurred, trapping many under the debris.

Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi said President Prabowo had been closely monitoring developments related to the incident and had ordered safety evaluations of all Islamic boarding schools across the country.

Head of the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Public Relations, Data, and Communications Bureau, Thobib Al Asyhar, affirmed the ministry’s readiness to carry out the President’s directive to strengthen safety measures at Islamic schools.

Meanwhile, the East Java Regional Police have upgraded the status of the case from inquiry to full investigation.

Police will summon several witnesses for further questioning. Of the 17 witnesses previously questioned during the preliminary inquiry, some will be recalled for additional examination based on their earlier testimonies.

Related news: Minister Pratikno urges coordinated audit of pesantren buildings

Related news: Minister hands aid to families of Al Khoziny Pesantren tragedy victims