Model, 24, found dead alongside boyfriend beneath rubble six days after deadly earthquake
A young model has been found dead alongside her boyfriend beneath the rubble of a collapsed building six days after a devastating earthquake.
Rescue teams recovered the bodies of Luciana Valentina Vergara Marcano and Juan José Salazar Cruz in the early hours of Sunday (16 August).
READ MORE: Lawyer dies protecting beloved dog during devastating earthquake
The 24-year-old model and content creator and her 38-year-old lawyer boyfriend were inside the Ana Pilar building in Cali, Colombia, when it collapsed during a magnitude-7.4 earthquake on 10 August.
As rescuers desperately searched the rubble over the following days, reports emerged that voices had been heard beneath the debris.
The reports gave Valentina’s devastated family, friends and followers hope she might still be found alive.
But six days after the disaster, her body was recovered alongside that of her boyfriend.
Valentina had more than 17,000 followers on Instagram, where she shared content about wellness, travel, fashion and lifestyle.
She was represented by F Creators, which remembered her as a “fighter, authentic and inspiring” woman and praised the charisma she brought to her work.
Her boyfriend was a partner at law firm Cadena & Asociados and ran its Cali office, as reported by Need To Know.
His name had previously been linked to a legal case involving alleged witness tampering that implicated former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe Vélez.
Prosecutors accused Salazar and fellow lawyer Diego Cadena of jointly committing bribery and procedural fraud offences in connection with former paramilitary member Carlos Enrique Vélez.
Valentina’s modelling work included an appearance in the music video for urban singer Daniel Giraldo’s song “Ganas”.
Following news of her death, the singer paid an emotional tribute.
He wrote: “I chose her as the only model in the video because I felt her beauty, essence and presence were all it needed.
“Today, ‘Ganas’ means more to me than any other song I’ve ever made.
“Her memory and her light will live on there forever. Fly high, Luciana Valentina Vergara Marcano.”
The devastating earthquake has killed at least 304 people and injured more than 4,500, according to official figures.
A further 426 people remain missing.
READ MORE: Miracle as dog rescued from rubble 29 days after earthquake
