Violeta had only been on vacation in Cali for a few days when the ground shook. Her grandmother, Amparo Jaramillo, 71, was with her when the Guadalupe residential complex building, in the Cuarto de Legua neighborhood, collapsed after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake with its epicenter in Chocó.
For hours, rescuers heard what seemed like a miracle: the girl responded to her name beneath the rubble. Family members and neighbors clung to that sign as one clings to the only thing left.
But the miracle did not come. When they finally managed to make their way through the ruins, they found Violeta and Amparo embracing, as if the grandmother had spent her final minutes protecting her granddaughter from the collapse.
Juan Diego Peña, the girl’s uncle, confirmed the news on social media and asked for respect in light of the false images already circulating about the case.