A seven-year-old Indonesian girl who was the subject of a day-long rescue effort after an earthquake killed at least 272 people in West Java has been found dead. Emergency workers found the body of Ashika Nur Fauziah, also known as Cika, under rubble in the worst-hit district of Cianjur town, the epicentre of the quake that triggered landslides, collapsed roofs, walls and buried victims in mounds of earth on Monday.
Dozens of rescuers had spent most of Thursday using digging tools, hammers and their bare hands to clear debris in the delicate mission, which was suspended overnight.
Cika was found under three layers of concrete on Friday morning, said Kolibu. Workers found her face down, encased by debris, with little space to breathe.
Rescuers covered her face and put her into a body bag as her father Ahmad watched on holding his head in despair.
Chidozie Chima | September 13, 2024
