Survivors and Victims, Straits Times, 1 Oct 2009

Straits Times 1 Oct 2009, Earthquake in Padang


'I will heal, and work'

Ms Ike Desmayanti, also known as Desi, had to have a third of her right leg amputated so that she could be freed from the rubble.

Her face was also badly wounded, reported the Jakarta Globe yesterday.

The building in which her company, Suzuki Finance, was located had collapsed in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, trapping the 26-year-old data entry clerk.

Desi said she had tried to run after she felt the first tremors, but could not make it outside.

She was found at around 10pm on Wednesday night by a search and rescue team.

The team decided to amputate part of her leg so she could be taken to hospital.

'I just let them do it,' she said. 'I rely on God.'

She has maintained a positive outlook, despite her ordeal.

'I don't care about my leg any more, as long as I still have my life. And I don't want to be pessimistic about my future. I will heal and work again.'

Daughter under rubble

Her reddened eyes darting back and forth across the wreckage, Ms Andriani waited in front of the crumbled school in which her teenage daughter had been taking a class when disaster struck.

The 49-year-old mother stood crying as rescuers dug with their hands through rubble turned to mush by heavy rain in the devastated city of Padang.

'I've been waiting here since yesterday. I haven't been home yet and keep praying to God my daughter is alive,' she said.

The 14-year-old girl was one of dozens of children feared killed during classes at the school.

Metro TV showed heavy equipment breaking through layers of cement slabs in search of students. Shouts from inside the wreckage helped rescuers pull nine to safety, but the bodies of eight children were also retrieved.

Another mother, who identified herself only as Imelda, feared the worst for her daughter, aged 12.

'My daughter's face keeps appearing in my mind. I cannot sleep, I'm waiting here to see her again,' she told TVOne, tears rolling down her face.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS