Based on school records “91 people are suspected to be buried,” National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement late Tuesday.
“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.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing but initial signs point to structural issues and construction that did not meet building standards, experts said.
Dewi Sulistiana was awaiting news of her 14-year-old son 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.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-school-building-collapse-survivor-parents-await-news-5379751
