SIDOARJO, Indonesia: Rescuers pulled a survivor from the ruins of a collapsed school in Indonesia on Wednesday (Oct 1), as desperate parents demanded searchers speed up efforts to find dozens more still believed trapped in the rubble.
Part of the multi-storey school on the island of Java gave way suddenly on Monday, as students gathered for afternoon prayers.
On Wednesday, rescuers said they had retrieved a survivor and a fourth body from the ruined building, but gave no details on either.
Based on school records, “91 people are suspected to be buried”, National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement late on Tuesday.
Tearful parents milled near the ruins throughout Wednesday, awaiting news of their children.
“We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” said father Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is missing. “The rescue operation must be accelerated.”
“We are racing against time now,” the 45-year-old added, bursting into tears.
Nearby, Dewi Sulistiana was awaiting news of her 14-year-old son, with whom she was last in touch with on Sunday. The boarding school limits student access to cellphones.
She rushed to the scene from Surabaya, several dozen kilometres away, after hearing about the collapse.
“I have been here for days. I cried thinking about my son,” she told AFP. “Why is taking so long to find him, why is the search so slow? I haven’t had any updates, so I just wait.”
Source: CNA
