GUA MUSANG, Oct 12 — News of the seven missing children has rippled through the community and taken its toll on the classmates of some of the victims. 

Ateh Ada, 31, said her daughter, Isni Dalilah Izo, seven, would constantly ask about her classmate, Juvina David, whom she refers to with the nickname “Abong”. 

“Since the day Juvina disappeared, Isni has been asking me where Abong has gone,” she said. 

“It breaks my heart when I cannot answer her, not knowing the fate of her good friend.”

When approached, Isni, who was obviously affected by the incident, softly said Juvina was one of her best friends.

“We always did our homework together, where we helped each other out. We talked a lot to each other. I really miss her a lot,” she said.

“Since I saw the news of her fate on television, I fell sick and have not gone to school since then.”

Ateh said even before the incident happened, she was never completely comfortable about sending Isni to live in the hostel.

“She is too young to fend for herself at this point. Even though I have two older children who are living in a hostel in Gua Musang, they are 13 and 14 years old. So, it is different as they are more independent,” she said.

Ateh said she was sad the children had met such a fate and that her daughter had lost a good friend.