"May our brothers and sisters who passed away be at the side of Allah SWT (Glorious and Exalted is He). The same for all injured victims; hopefully, they will recover soon," the minister said in Cianjur on Wednesday.
On behalf of his ministry, he expressed condolences to the affected communities in Cianjur, especially students, teachers, and educational staff. He also visited three schools affected by the quake: Cugenang PGRI Kindergarten, Cugenang Public Elementary School, and SMAN 2 Cianjur public high school.
The teachers at SMAN 2 Cianjur managed to get students out of the classrooms when the earthquake struck, he noted. He then lauded the teachers' efforts that resulted in no casualties at the school.
"In the second phase (of the earthquake), (which is) by the time they came out, six classrooms had collapsed. So, it is amazing (the evacuation process). I would like to express my highest appreciation to the teachers who managed to keep their students safe; they really showed an act of heroism," he said.
Separately, the principal of Cugenang Elementary School, Yati Hentriyani, said that the school was empty and there were no students in the school when the earthquake occurred.
She said there was only a teacher and a security staff in the school during the quake.
However, she informed that three students from the school died after their homes were hit by landslides.
Minister Makarim expressed the hope that the country would get through the grief brought on by the quake with resilience.
"I know this is definitely a difficult time for parents, teachers, and also children who are certainly traumatized by this situation, but we hope that with resilience, Indonesia can get through this," he said.
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Translator: Rizka K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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