A bridesmaid and a ring bearer were killed and at least 30 people were injured after the roof collapsed at a country house in Cesar province, northern Colombia.
More than 80 guests gathered to celebrate the wedding of Ebed Calderón and Camilo Andrade when the roof collapsed Saturday night around 8:30 pm at Casa Hotel Riasco in the municipality of Valledupar.
Authorities said that the roof collapse was due to the obstruction in the drainage pipes that did not allow the heavy rains that fell in the municipality of Valledupar on Saturday night to flow.
‘The drainage pipes were apparently covered in dry leaves and debris. When it rained, the water had nowhere to go and the concrete structure collapsed,’ said Petra Romero, director of Cesar’s Risk Management Office.’
The victims were identified as Naileth Guerra, 22, and Sharay Maldonado, 13.
The injured were rushed to three clinics in the area and a hospital.
Naileth Guerra, the bridesmaid, died after the roof of a country house collapsed during a wedding celebration at Casa Hotel Riasco in Cesar, Colombia, on Saturday night. Authorities said the tragedy may have been caused by heavy rains in the municipality of Valledupar.
Sharay Maldonado, the ring bearer, was seeking shelter under a table when the ceiling collapsed on her.
A wedding guest tries to help a person crawling under rubble after the ceiling collapsed at a wedding venue in Colombia on Saturday night. Two people were murdered
First responders remove one of the 30 guests who were injured by the roof collapse.
At least three people are in critical condition, including Guerra’s mother, local media reported.
Images on social media showed an adult trying to help a young woman who was trapped under the rubble.
One of the wedding guests told El Tiempo newspaper that Guerra and Maldonado sought protection under tables after lightning briefly cut the electricity.
‘In the middle of the downpour, it felt like a clap of thunder. That’s when the lights went out. She returned immediately,” the witness said.
‘A few minutes later, one of the structures collapsed. The people fled. Naileth and the girl tried to take shelter under the tables, but were crushed.
Deivis Hernández told Noticias RCN that he heard a loud noise moments before the roof gave way.
‘We heard a noise like when a giant tree branch breaks. That was pretty much the sound,’ she said. ‘We were all alarmed and suddenly, in a matter of seconds, everything started to collapse. We were left in the dark, we started looking for the exit.’
Ebed Calderón and Camilo Andrade’s wedding celebration was marred by tragedy Saturday night after the bridesmaid and ring girl died after the roof of the country house they were renting collapsed during a storm.
The authorities are investigating the collapse of the roof of a property in Casa Hotel Riasco that left two dead and at least 30 injured
Ebed Calderón shared a photo of her surrounded by her bridesmaids, including Naileth Guerra, the bridesmaid, who was murdered
Authorities in the Cesar department in northern Colombia believe the roof of the farmhouse collapsed because the drainage pipes were blocked with leaves and trash.
Just a few hours before the wedding, Calderón shared a video on social media surrounded by her five bridesmaids.
Calderón mourned Guerra’s death in a heartbreaking post on her Instagram account on Sunday.
‘My beautiful friend, my queen, my beauty, the one with the noblest heart, I cannot believe all this. Oh my god, I begged you so much,’ she wrote.
‘My soul hurts. We had so many dreams. It hurts a lot,’ he added. ‘I only ask God to bring immense comfort to all of us who love you with our hearts. ‘My God, I don’t understand, Father, why, my God, help us.’