THE RESCUE OPERATION
The rescue operation is complex, said Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency on Wednesday.
“If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places. So now, to reach the spot where the victims are, we have to dig an underground tunnel,” he told reporters.
Digging itself poses challenges, including possible landslides. And any tunnel will only provide an access route around 60cm wide because of the structure’s concrete columns.
Technology including thermal-sensing drones is being used to locate survivors and the deceased as the 72-hour “golden period” for best survival chances nears its end.
So far, signs of life have been detected in seven areas, said rescue official Emi Freezer of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
Water and food was being sent in, but access was through a single point, he said. “The main structure has totally collapsed.”
Complicating the operation, an earthquake struck offshore overnight, briefly halting the search.
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures – particularly houses – partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.
Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java province.
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