A 57-year-old mother from New Jersey died in Roldanillo, Colombia, after re-entering a collapsing building during a magnitude 7.4 earthquake to save her daughter. Magnolia Garcia Lugo, a mother of three, had initially escaped the structure when the earthquake struck on Monday but went back inside to rescue her daughter, Natalia, a recent graduate of Bergenfield High School.
Garcia Lugo did not emerge from the building with her daughter, who sustained injuries but survived the collapse. Her brother located her body after digging through the rubble; she had been crushed by a wall. Natalia is currently hospitalized for an arm injury, according to Mayor Arvin Amatorio.
The earthquake has claimed the lives of at least 281 people, injured nearly 4,000, and destroyed over 10,500 homes, Colombian authorities reported Thursday. More than 150 aftershocks have been recorded, and 379 people remain missing more than 72 hours after the initial tremor.
"Unfortunately, we are reaching a point where the likelihood of finding survivors is dwindling, but our mission is to keep searching and find all those people who are reported missing," said David Tamayo, head of Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.
A funeral for Garcia Lugo was held on Wednesday. Her daughter's father has since traveled to Colombia.