For more than two days, Mexico was kept on tenterhooks by the news that a 12-year-old girl, “Frida Sofía,” had survived the collapse of a section of the Enrique Rébsamen elementary school in Mexico City’s southern Coapa district.
Reports suggested a faint voice had been heard beneath the rubble, and that one rescuer had seen a hand protruding from the debris with “fingers wriggling.” The story circled the globe and even President Enrique Peña Nieto was given frequent updates.
The massive effort to rescue the trapped girl seemed to epitomize Mexico’s resolve and solidarity at such a difficult moment. On Thursday evening, however, it was announced that no one at the school had survived the collapse and doubts were raised that “Frida Sofía” had ever existed. The final death toll at the school, say government sources, was 19 students and four teachers. All the students enrolled at the school are now accounted for.