A lawyer tragically died protecting her beloved dog during Colombia’s devastating recent earthquake.
Lenny Ruiz Fernández was inside the Ana Pilar building in Cali when the magnitude-7.4 quake struck on Monday (10 August).
The tremor caused part of the structure to collapse, leaving several people trapped beneath concrete debris.
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Emergency teams spent hours carrying out search and rescue operations before locating Lenny beneath the rubble.
However, by the time she was found, she had already died.
Incredibly, her pet dog, Salomón, was found alive beneath her.
It is believed Lenny ended up in a position that protected the animal when the building collapsed, forming a human shield that prevented heavy structures from crushing him.
Salomón was pulled out alive and received medical attention for minor injuries, as reported by Need To Know.
In addition to working as a lawyer, Lenny had close ties to animal welfare organisations, including the Junta Defensora de Animales de Pasto, based in Pasto, where she was originally from.
The organisation said: “Her love for animals and her story with Salomón will remain in the memories of those who knew her.”
Posts on her social media accounts suggest she was a deeply devout Christian and had travelled to Europe, including Madrid.
Several reports give her age as 38.
The earthquake, whose epicentre was in San José del Palmar, also caused serious damage in the cities of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó and Armenia.
The Colombian government has declared a national disaster.
The official death toll has risen to 265, with 3,494 people injured and 496 still missing.
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