The death toll from the collapse of an Indonesian Islamic school a week ago has reached 54, rescue teams said, still searching for more than a dozen missing people, AFP reported.
To date, "we have recovered 54 victims", said the director of operations for the National Search and Rescue Agency, Yudi Bramantio, at a press conference.
Earlier, 45 people were reported dead.
"We hope to finish recovering (the bodies) today and hand them over (to the families)", he added, specifying that at least 13 people were still missing.
Part of the dormitory of the Al Hosini, located in Sidoarjo district, near the large city of Surabaya, in east Java, collapsed suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers.
It is the deadliest disaster in Indonesia so far this year, said Budi Irawan, deputy director of the National Disaster Management Agency.
Search and rescue operations in the vast archipelago usually last a week, but authorities can extend them if there are indications that more victims may be found, AFP recalls.
On Thursday, families of the missing accepted the use of heavy machinery after the 72-hour "critical period", after which the chances of survival are very small. Investigators have also begun investigating the cause of the collapse of the building, where renovation work was being carried out. Experts say initial indications are that the structure did not meet standards.
Lax building codes and site inspections have raised concerns about building safety in Indonesia. In September, at least three people died and dozens were injured when a building housing a mosque collapsed in western Java.