Earthquake in Colombia: Groom-to-be found dead just days before wedding

PEREIRA, Colombia — Juan Felipe Giraldo had traveled to Pereira for work and was at the Hotel Dibeni when the 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday morning.

His family was planning to attend his wedding to his fiancée, Natalia Patiño, the mother of his two-year-old son, on Sunday in Bogotá.

On Friday, crews found the body of Giraldo, 24, a salesman of eyewear frames and glasses on a work trip, in the rubble of the hotel, Noticias Caracol reported.

“Forever and always in my heart,” Patiño wrote on Instagram after the news. “You were the most complete love I ever had. I love you forever.”

The groom-to-be’s father, Hernan Giraldo, traveled from Bogotá to Pereira to help search for him. He knew he was staying in room 201. He told reporters on Thursday he was hopeful for a miracle and a wedding.

“You will be getting married this Sunday,” Hernando Giraldo said was the message for to his son.

El Tiempo and El Espectador reported on the case. Colombians from all over the world left messages of condolences for Patiño and their family.

Colombian officials reported on Friday that there were at least 287 dead, 3,975 injured, 378 people who had vanished, 354 had been rescued from the rubble, and 135,179 were affected.

Officials also reported that the earthquake caused damage in more than 400 cities, and most of the destruction was in Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, and Buenaventura.

On Friday, Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella returned to Chocó, where the earthquake’s epicenter was. The area was in need of temporary housing, food, and healthcare.

“My heart, my strength, and my spirit are with all the victims and with all these territories that have been forgotten and now devastated by nature,” De La Espriella said. “We must rebuild them. There is a great task ahead, and I am committed to it.”

The World Bank reported disbursing $200 million on Thursday and launching assistance to provide an early assessment ​of damages and economic losses.

The U.S. committed $15 million in emergency aid, a $1 billion security package, search-and-rescue teams, damage assessment, and other resources.

The United Arab Emirates pledged $10 million. The European Union pledged $2.4 million. China pledged $1 million, and Sweden pledged about half a million.

El Salvador sent two planes full of aid and deployed search-and-rescue teams. Other countries sending aid and crews include Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, and Israel.

Colombia’s first lady, Ana Lucía Pineda, deployed the “One Heart” campaign to collect emergency aid, and she was working on partnerships with the private sector to help with reconstruction.

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