A devastating earthquake in Colombia has left one young woman facing an unimaginable loss after she became the only surviving member of her immediate family.

Ana María Saavedra Caycedo was trapped beneath the remains of her apartment in Cali for hours after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10.

She suffered serious injuries, including damage to her arm and a fractured pelvis. When rescuers eventually pulled her from the rubble, she was confronted with the devastating news that the rest of her immediate family had not survived.

Ana María was one of triplets. Her sisters, Sofía and Isabella, were also inside the apartment when the earthquake struck, along with their parents, Jair Saavedra and Vicky Caycedo, and their uncle Diego Caycedo.

Rescue teams worked for hours and days to locate the family members beneath the debris. Ana María survived, but her parents, Sofía, Isabella and Diego were killed.

According to their cousin Camila Martínez Sierra, Ana María’s parents were discovered embracing in what appeared to be their final moments. Sofía and Diego were also found dead, while Isabella was the last family member recovered from the rubble.

A family suddenly torn apart

The triplets had recently graduated from university and had been working together. Their family said they had been making plans for their futures and had many dreams ahead of them.

Following the disaster, relatives launched a fundraising campaign to help Ana María cover medical expenses and support her long recovery.

The campaign has received thousands of donations. According to the family, Ana María has already undergone surgery and now faces an extended recovery, both physically and emotionally.

Her cousin has also shared photographs and videos documenting years of family memories, including vacations, celebrations, reunions and ordinary moments together.

In one photograph, the family can be seen wearing matching white clothes and black hats while smiling beside a swimming pool. Another image captures relatives gathered around a bonfire.

For Martínez Sierra, those once-simple memories have taken on a completely different meaning following the disaster.

She described looking through the family’s photographs and videos with feelings of love, nostalgia and profound grief.

One of Colombia’s deadliest earthquakes in decades

The Saavedra Caycedo family was among hundreds of victims of the earthquake.

According to Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, at least 294 people had been confirmed dead, while another 320 remained missing and nearly 4,000 people had suffered injuries.

The earthquake also destroyed more than 12,000 homes and caused more than 100 buildings to collapse.

Rescue teams continued searching through damaged structures as families across the country appealed for information about missing relatives.

For those who lost loved ones, the disaster has transformed everyday photographs and memories into irreplaceable reminders of people who are no longer there.

Martínez Sierra said the earthquake changed her family’s life within seconds and served as a painful reminder that ordinary moments can become precious memories without warning.

She also urged people to value the time they have with those they love, saying that a hug, a phone call, an expression of love or a family visit should not always be postponed.

Source: CNN, “Colombia’s earthquake tore apart this family with triplets. Only one survived,” updated August 17, 2026.