New Jersey Mom Died After Running into Collapsed Building to Rescue Daughter Following Colombia Earthquake
New Jersey Mom Died After Running into Collapsed Building to Rescue Daughter Following Colombia Earthquake
Adam EnglandFri, August 14, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTC
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Magnolia Garcia LugoCredit: Magnolia Garcia Lugo/Facebook -
A mom of three from Bergenfield, N.J., died trying to save her daughter after an earthquake struck Colombia earlier this week
Magnolia Garcia Lugo, 57, escaped as her home collapsed but ran back inside to rescue her daughter, Natalia, when a wall fell on her
The 7.4-magnitude quake, Colombia’s deadliest since 1999, hit the country on Monday, Aug. 10, killing at least 281 people
A mom from Bergenfield, N.J., died trying to save her daughter in the aftermath of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia earlier this week.
Relatives and church leaders told ABC7 News that mother of three Magnolia Garcia Lugo escaped as the home she was staying in collapsed but ran back inside the property to rescue her daughter, Natalia. After she re-entered, a wall fell on top of her.
The borough’s mayor, Arvin Amatorio, first shared the news of her death in a Facebook statement on Wednesday, Aug. 12, which explained that Garcia Lugo’s family was visiting Colombia when the earthquake hit two days prior.
“Her daughter, a recent Bergenfield High School graduate, survived the collapse and is currently hospitalized with an arm injury,” he added.
Magnolia Garcia LugoCredit: Magnolia Garcia Lugo/Facebook
“The father, who did not travel with them, is en route to Colombia, and the Borough is working to reach him and provide support.”
Local outlet El Tiempo reported that Garcia Lugo was 57 years old and died in the town of Roldanillo, around 220 miles west of the capital, Bogotá. Speaking later to ABC7 News, Amatorio said he’d been told that she would be buried in Colombia.
The earthquake, the country’s deadliest since 1999, struck shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday, and primarily affected western Colombia, per Sky News. The epicenter was about 250 miles west of Bogotá.
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According to local newspaper El Nuevo Siglo, 281 people had been confirmed dead as of Thursday, Aug. 13, with 3,971 people injured and 379 missing. The government declared the earthquake a national emergency and launched search and rescue operations throughout the most severely affected areas.
Damage in Roldanillo, Colombia after the Monday, Aug. 10 earthquakeCredit: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP via Getty
Oscar Fernando Castro, assistant pastor at Mercy Church of God, which Garcia Lugo attended, said her brother — a pastor in Colombia — helped search for her after the wall collapsed.
“He called me and told me the house came down. He says, ‘My sister is there,’ so he was asking for help, and when they found her, Magnolia passed away,” he told ABC7 News.
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Ana Castro, the church’s media lead, told the outlet that the longtime churchgoer would be a “big loss.”
“Magnolia has been a solid member of the church for 22 years along with her daughters... they’ve been a part of our team, actively, for more than 10 years,” she said. “We feel it pretty heavily.”
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
