"No more signs of life (are found). Hence, the SAR team decided to proceed with the body retrieval with heavy equipment," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto stated in the agency's written statement on Thursday.
Suharyanto accompanied Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, who on Thursday met the victims' families waiting for their relatives' fate outside the accident site, as over 50 victims remain unaccounted for.
After the top minister's visit, the agency chief revealed that the victims' families agreed that the rescue operation must be continued and that they will accept any outcome.
"The victims' families agreed and requested us to continue the SAR operation with heavy equipment," he said, while adding that the families have signed a written statement of support.
The joint SAR team on Wednesday evening (October 1) successfully retrieved seven other victims, five of whom survived while two others were killed, from under the rubble.
The victim's extraction as of Wednesday was conducted manually, as the agency prioritizes the safety of the trapped victims and the rescue team officers.
"The rescue team prioritizes caution as the rubble is unstable," Suharyanto remarked.
Meanwhile, National SAR Agency (Basarnas) official Emi Freezer explained that due to "limited light and visibility" and to ensure the safety of on-site officers, the body retrieval process with heavy equipment will stop by the evening on each day.
He also revealed that the agency had conducted assessments at three different times from Wednesday evening until Thursday morning, which all detected no signs of life under the rubble.
According to the BNPB data as of Thursday evening, 108 victims have been rescued from the collapsed school building, with 73 of them having been discharged from hospitals and 30 others still under medical care.
Meanwhile, five victims were killed, and 58 others remain unaccounted for.
Translator: Riezko Bima Elko, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Arie Novarina
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