Condition of lone survivor of Jakarta fire improving
Condition of lone survivor of Jakarta fire improving
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The condition of Tabitha, the only survivor from Saturday's fatal
fire that killed six others, was improving on Sunday, although
she was still lying weakly on her bed in the burns unit at
Pertamina Hospital, South Jakarta.
The five-year-old was able to eat with help from nurses and
also started to respond and talk to them.
However, Tabitha was still crying because of the burns she
suffered all over her body. Her hands and legs were wrapped in
dressings and some bandages could be seen on her cheeks and head.
Nurses took turns to calm her down by caressing her.
Dr. Eko Wahyu Wibowo, who was on duty on Sunday, said that she
might recover within two weeks should the recovery process go
well.
Tabitha was the youngest granddaughter of Evi Kawit, 50, a
prosecutor with the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office. She
survived the fire that gutted Evi's house on Jl. Adhyaksa Blok D
in the Attorney General's Office (AGO) housing complex, Lebak
Bulus, South Jakarta, on Saturday morning, thanks to the heroism
of Evi's neighbor Andri Lesmana, one of neighbor Aan Syarief's
three children, who attempted to save the victims trapped in the
fire.
Evi was one of six who died in the fire. The others were her
grandchildren, Andika, 9, and Imanuel, 7, and Evi's sister,
Eieke, and her two children, Marlin and Linda.
To speed Tabitha's recovery, no visitors or relatives were
allowed to be present in the same room.
"For the time being, she cannot receive any visits. If you
want to see her, please look through the window," a nurse told
The Jakarta Post.
Another nurse said that Tabitha did not yet know that her
beloved grandmother and two elder brothers had been killed in the
fire.
Tabitha's parents are due to arrive from the United States on
Monday.
"They will visit her on Monday," the nurse said.
All six victims were buried at 1 p.m. at Pondok Rajeg
cemetery, Cibinong, Bogor, which serves the Attorney General's
Office. Also present at the burial was Attorney General M.A.
Rachman.