A 24-year-old travel influencer was killed after a pickup truck carrying a group of travelers was swept away while crossing a river in Nicaragua.
French traveler Emma Marie Laurent was one of three women who died after the vehicle was caught in strong currents following heavy rainfall, according to news agency Jam Press.
The group was traveling through El Manzano, a community in the northwestern department of Chinandega, when they attempted to cross the Nahualapa River at around 1 a.m. on Oct. 9, the same source reported.
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Recent rainfall had caused the river to rise, creating dangerous conditions before the vehicle attempted to cross.
The driver, identified as Mexican national Martin Gerardo García Girón, reportedly stepped out of the pickup to assess the water level before attempting the crossing, according to Jam Press.
The water reportedly came close to the driver’s knees, but the current swept the pickup away and caused it to overturn.
The driver survived, though accounts have differed on whether other passengers also made it to safety, according to Jam Press.
Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crossing.
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Nicaraguan co-President Rosario Murillo offered condolences to the victims’ families following the deaths.
“This is a tragedy,” Murillo said, according to reports.
“We express our solidarity and our call to remain vigilant and, in the face of such tragedies, to express our full solidarity.”
Murillo also warned about the dangers of crossing rivers during Nicaragua’s rainy season.
“Rivers are deceptive; one thinks they are calm and, suddenly, the current comes, and we have tragedies like this that bring mourning to families,” she said, according to Jam Press.
Laurent had developed an online following by sharing her travels around the world, including glimpses of life on the road from her van.
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She described herself as “your barefoot BFF” on Instagram, where she had nearly 43,000 followers at the time of her death, Jam Press reported.
Laurent appeared to have shared her final social media post on Oct. 2, uploading a video from a recent trip to Portugal.
In the post, she reflected on the importance of appreciating everyday moments.
“I think the most beautiful people, inside and out, are those who know how to admire the world around them,” Laurent wrote in French.
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Following news of her death, social media users left messages of remembrance beneath the post.
“Gone far too soon,” one person commented.
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“Condolences to the family,” another user wrote.
