An aspiring travel influencer drowned on her dream vacation alongside two other women when their van was swept away by a flooded river.
French vlogger Emma Marie Laurent, who called herself a “barefoot best friend” online, was exploring northern Nicaragua with two others when they were surprised by heavy rain in the early hours of October 9, Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa reported.
The Toyota Hilux they were in got into trouble when the driver – the only one to survive – attempted to cross the Nahualapa River, which is usually calm but can be dangerous in strong storms.
The pick-up was swept away by the torrent, killing Laurent, 24, Swiss Noe Luscher, 20, and Nicaraguan hotel employee Karen Lopez Montano, according to La Prensa.
Driver Martin Gerardo Garcia Giron managed to escape, authorities told the media outlet.
“They crossed a river at a time when they (shouldn’t have),” said Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua’s co-president.
“Rivers are deceptive. We think they are calm and suddenly the current comes and we have tragedies like this.”
Laurent was killed just a week after sharing a now poignant message from Portugal reflecting on her life.
“I think the most beautiful people, inside and out, are those who know how to admire the world around them,” she wrote in French.
The vlogger, who had 43,000 subscribers and described herself as living between two suitcases, had documented her travel and van life adventures – exploring Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
On September 26, she shared a video of herself waking up from the back of a van and captioned the post: “The goal in life: to find someone who prefers this to a five-star hotel.”
Authorities are investigating how the truck overturned. It was unclear whether the driver would face charges.
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