While navies from around the world join in the search for a missing Argentine submarine, the stakes are high for the relatives of the 44 people on board.
Their anguish is turning to frustration as the search enters a critical phase, with levels of breathable air on the sub reducing.
"I feel like I'm at a wake. I also feel time passing and time is crucial.
"I don't want to bury my brother."
It is three days since President Mauricio Macri and senior naval officers met the families at the Mar del Plata naval base.
After the meetings, Mr Macri tweeted (in Spanish): "I offer all my support to the relatives of crew of the submarine in these difficult hours. We will continue to deploy all the available national and international resources to find (the crew) as soon as possible."
"The mood is bad, very bad," the navy's Victor Hugo Duga told local media on Tuesday.
"At the moment there is only anxiety here. It's the worst thing I've had to face."
He said the relatives had suffered three "hard blows" in the wait: The submarine not coming back at the scheduled time; when satellite calls turned out not to have been from the sub; and previous noises heard in the area, which were not from the submarine.
With the chances of finding the crew alive being reduced by the day, the relatives have held prayer sessions at the base and been attended to by psychologists.
But these small breaks in routine do not disguise the fact that this is a waiting game - and despair is close for many.
"There are times when I don't want to be alive," the mother of one of the sailors told El Pais via the Whatsapp messaging service (in Spanish).
Frustration and anger are coming to the fore. Some relatives say the navy was too slow to respond when the submarine lost contact with land, and wasted time before calling in international help.
The siblings of Cristian Ibañez were among those to express anger. One asked why the authorities were using boats to look for a submarine, and another said the navy "lost crucial hours" by not treating the situation seriously enough at the beginning.
Ms Alfaro said: "I don't want to hear how many boats and aeroplanes there are. I want them to tell us where our relatives are."
Some of those who are missing relatives are too young to know what is happening. Beatriz Gambazza, who leads a creche at the naval base, said two of the children there have fathers on board.
"You have to believe, have faith and pray," she said. "The naval family is very strong."
"They are going to come back for sure," said Malvina Vallejos, the sister of an officer on board.
"A submarine is made to not be detected. It's possible they are navigating here slowly."
The search for the sub has gripped Argentina, and people have come to the base to pin messages of support to the crew and families on a wire fence - it is both an emotional outpouring and a collection of prayers.
Bishop Gabriel Mestre, who has been attending the naval base, said: "Prayer doesn't only contain hope - it also includes strength to confront the most dramatic scenario."
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