“Since then, I’ve been here waiting for any information.”
The information forthcoming is grim. Five days after the collapse, rescue workers say they can no longer find signs of life.
The official death toll is 13. But these are bodies that have been recovered. Patina’s son may be one of them, or one of at least 50 boys missing in the three stories of rubble.
Part of the collapsed school. Authorities have said unauthorised construction may have triggered the tragedy. Credit: AP
The figure for the presumed dead decreased one when a boy that had run away during the collapse found his way home to a relieved family.
The time for more serendipitous twists of fate or miracles is fast passing, if not already gone.
Rows of ambulances line the main road leading to the school. Authorities have blocked off alleys, even sitting in the terraces of people’s homes, presumably to prevent unauthorised access.
One man, who asked not to be named, said he and other families became angry when it appeared work on the site had stopped. He said they complained, and the workers resumed.
Suharyanto, head of the disaster agency BNPB, said any perceived sluggishness was a safety precaution because of the precariously balanced rubble.
He said the families had now accepted the operation should pivot from rescue to recovery. As such, heavy machinery had been deployed.
A school executive told this masthead there had been no discussions about the cause of the tragedy. The priority, he said, was assisting rescue workers and families.
But these hard questions are coming: Authorities said additions to the school were unauthorised.
Silvy Fauzia, who lives about 200 metres from the building, said the part of the building that collapsed was undergoing construction on the third floor.
Indonesian media company Tempo reported on Friday that construction had been underway for nine months and the floor was getting a layer of concrete.
The speculation coming from authorities was that the foundations were not strong enough to bear such weight.
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Suharyanto said some people had been summoned by the police, but he had asked investigators to hold the case while recovery efforts were ongoing.
Patima still held a sliver of hope for her son. Perhaps the heavy machinery, though dangerous for the stability of the structure, would reach a pocket not panned by heat-detecting drones.
“Our hope is he is found, alive if possible,” she said. “But it is beyond our control.”
