THE body of a groom-to-be who was just two days away from his wedding has been found in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Colombia.
Juan Felipe Giraldo, 24, was due to marry the mother of his child, Natalia Patiño, on August 16 when he went missing in the city of Pereira.
Juan Felipe Giraldo was found dead in the rubble of a collapsed hotel Credit: Instagram
He was only days away from his wedding to partner Natalia Patiño Credit: Instagram
After news of his disappearance emerged, Juan’s father, Hernán Giraldo, travelled to Pereira and joined rescue teams searching day and night for his son.
Juan had reportedly sent his fiancée a video shortly before the disaster, which helped rescuers pinpoint his location after the earthquake caused the hotel to collapse.
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Before his son’s body was discovered, Hernán said in a heartbreaking video: “There is life, there are small signs of life, and if there is life there is hope.
“Son, I love you. On Jattvibeday you are going to be getting married, and if not on Jattvibeday, it will be in eight, 15 days, but you will be there, son.”
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Search and rescue found his body in the remains of the Hotel Dibeni in Pereira Credit: Getty
But the family’s worst fears were realised when Juan was eventually found dead.
“Forever and always my heart, you were the most complete love I ever had. I love you forever,” his grieving fiancée wrote on Instagram.
The couple had a two-year-old son and lived together in Colombia‘s capital, Bogotá.
Juan had travelled to Pereira on a work trip just hours before the deadly quake struck, and ended up staying at the doomed Hotel Dibeni in the city centre.
This comes after a triplet had her life ripped apart after losing both of her sisters and her parents in Colombia’s devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake.
Ana María Saavedra, 23, was pulled alive from the rubble of her destroyed four-storey home in Cali, the worst-hit city.
She survived after taking shelter beneath a sturdy wooden table as the building came crashing down around her.
But her parents, Jairo Hernán Saavedra, 63, and Victoria Caicedo, 61, were tragically found dead in each other’s arms.
Her sister Sofía was also killed after becoming trapped beneath a collapsed staircase.
And the body of Ana María’s third triplet, Isabella, was recovered late on Thursday night.
The earthquake struck at a depth of around 64 miles in Chocó province and was felt across a vast area of western Colombia.
Tremors were felt hundreds of miles away in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, as well as across parts of Ecuador and Panama.
Officials said 294 people had been confirmed dead and 3,935 injured, according to a Saturday report from Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has deployed 1,000 members of the security forces to Cali following reports of looting.
The disaster is an early test for the president, who was inaugurated just days ago on August 7.
On Tuesday, he flew to Pereira with his wife, First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda, to inspect one of the worst-hit areas.
“My commitment is to each and every one of the affected families,” he wrote on X.
“We remain on the ground, working for our people.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America “stands ready to support” Colombia.
The US Department of State described the disaster as “devastating” and pledged £11.5million to provide emergency shelter and supplies.
The EU is also providing funding and supporting rescue operations, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
The Colombian government has meanwhile announced an immediate emergency rent subsidy for people who have lost their homes.
