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Mexican couple missing after Colombia earthquake; family seeks help
🇲🇽 Mexico /Disasters & Emergencies

Mexican couple missing after Colombia earthquake; family seeks help

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A Mexican couple, Mario Alberto Zapata Verdier and Brenda Eloisa Flores Reyes, are missing after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia.
  • Family members are seeking help through social media and coordinating with the Mexican embassy in Colombia for support.
  • Relatives are raising funds to travel to Pereira, Colombia, to aid in the search efforts, expressing deep anguish and hope for their safe return.

A profound sense of anguish and desperation grips the families of Mario Alberto Zapata Verdier, 57, and Brenda Eloisa Flores Reyes, 42, a couple from Durango, Mexico, who are among those missing following a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia earlier this week. The couple was in Pereira when the seismic event occurred, and all communication has since been lost.

Somehow I have to bring her back and I hope it is alive.

— Alessa ReyesBrenda Eloísa's sister, expressing her determination to find her missing sister after the earthquake in Colombia.

Germán Zapata Verdier, Mario Alberto's brother, has been providing updates on social media, stating that while they await news, their "faith and hope remain firm." He expressed gratitude for the concern shown by others and confirmed that both Colombian authorities and the Mexican embassy in Colombia are offering assistance. However, concrete information regarding the couple's whereabouts remains elusive.

Alessa Reyes, Brenda Eloísa's sister, has been a vocal advocate for their rescue, sharing her deep emotional distress on Facebook. "I never imagined being in this situation; when I saw missing persons, I thought what a torment to live that situation, and today that I live it, unfortunately they are so far away, it feels worse because we cannot do many things from here," she wrote. Reyes is determined to travel to Pereira to search for her sister, stating, "Somehow I have to bring her back and I hope it is alive."

I never imagined being in this situation; when I saw missing persons, I thought what a torment to live that situation, and today that I live it, unfortunately they are so far away, it feels worse because we cannot do many things from here.

— Alessa ReyesBrenda Eloísa's sister, describing the emotional toll of her sister's disappearance following the earthquake.

To facilitate their search, the families have launched a fundraising campaign to cover travel expenses to Pereira. Alessa Reyes has already purchased flights and will be accompanied by two of Mario Alberto's children. The Mexican Embassy in Colombia has confirmed it is aware of the situation, has officially added the couple to the list of missing persons, and is coordinating with Colombian rescue groups, including the Red Cross, to provide support and facilitate the search.

The faith and hope remain firm.

— Germán Zapata VerdierMario Alberto's brother, providing an update on the search for his missing brother and sister-in-law after the Colombian earthquake.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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