SINGAPORE — Touching down in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday (June 6), Mr James Ho and his wife clung on to the hope that their daughter Rachel had survived the quake that occurred the day before.

Then, a friend asked whether they were ready to see a photograph depicting the scene on Mount Kinabalu after the disaster. When they did, hope crumbled into grief: In the photograph was the body of Rachel, clearly identifiable in a pink jacket.

“When my wife and I saw the photo, we broke down,” said Mr Ho, 45. “It was then that we accepted that she’s gone and all that we wished for was to retrieve the body.”

Rachel, 12, is among the six Tanjong Katong Primary School pupils who died in the earthquake, together with one of their teachers and adventure guide. The students were part of a group of 29 pupils and eight teachers on a school trip to Mount Kinabalu.

The wakes of several of the deceased, including Rachel’s, were held today, while burials were held for adventure guide Muhammad Daanish Amran and student Ameer Ryyan Mohd Adeed Sanjay. TKPS student Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar, 13, and teacher Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, 35, are still missing.

Speaking to reporters at Rachel’s wake, Mr Ho, a banker, recalled the agonising hours after finding out that Rachel had died. The presence of Ministry of Education (MOE) counsellors proved to be a great comfort, especially when the couple had to identify her body. “To see her motionless was unbearable,” said Mr Ho, adding that the counsellors had ensured that the parents had enough rest and sleep.

The flight back to Singapore was painful for the couple. “You have three hours of flashbacks of what happened to her at that time, why she was there. Memories of the body you held onto in the morgue just kept flashing,” said Mr Ho, who broke down several times while speaking to reporters.

The presence of Education Minister Heng Swee Keat in the crowd that received them when they landed provided some comfort. “It gave you assurance that the whole nation is behind you. And when they announced that today is a day of remembrance, we were very touched,” Mr Ho said.  

The couple’s younger son, Raphael, seven, has not been told of his sister’s death. His eldest child, Ryan, 15, meanwhile “held strong” over the weekend until Sunday night, when he helped choose what to put into Rachel’s coffin.

Describing his daughter as a “lovely, bubbly girl” who loved making friendship bands and dreamt of making it to the national netball team, Mr Ho said the family had spent three hours choosing the items. “We shared a lot of memories, photos and joy, which helped to ease the pain, put us to sleep,” he said. Her last words before she left last Wednesday were: “Papa, I’ll miss you. When I come back, I’ll be sleeping in your room right?” he said.

Wakes were ongoing today for Terrence Sebastian Loo Jian Liang, 29, a teacher at TKPS and pupils Emilie Giovanna Ramu, Sonia Jhala and Peony Wee Ying Ping. The bodies of Mr Daanish and Ameer Ryyan Mohd Adeed Sanjay were taken to Ba’alwie Mosque for prayers before being buried.

Mr Andrew Chua, director  of Camp Challenge, where Mr Daanish had been working as a freelance instructor, called him an outstanding instructor. “Daanish had a lot going for him ... My heart goes out to his family.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NG JING YNG