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Travel influencer Emma Marie Laurent, 24, dead after truck swept into river during dream vacation
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A 24-year-old travel content creator from France sadly passed away after her pickup truck was swept away in a river while she was on vacation in Nicaragua.
Emma Marie Laurent had been visiting her sister - who lives in Chinandega, Nicaragua - along with another sister.
According to a statement from Nicaragua co-president Rosario Murillo, published by La Nueva Radio YA, they were crossing a river in a pickup truck, a Toyota Hilux, on October 9 when their vehicle got swept away in the current.
“They crossed a river at the time when they [shouldn’t have],” Murillo said.
“Rivers are deceptive. You think they are calm and suddenly the current comes and we have tragedies like this.”
With 43,000 followers on Instagram, the aspiring influencer documented her travels around the world, occasionally living out of her pickup truck.
Who was the driver?
According to Nicaraguan outlet La Prensani, a man had been driving the three sisters in a pickup truck, and they crossed the Nahualapa River around 1:00AM.
Typically, the river poses very little danger. However, recent rain had caused the currents to rise, which led to their pickup truck being swept away. The driver, Martin Gerardo Garcia Giron, was the only survivor. Authorities told local media that he managed to escape.
“This is a tragedy,” said Murillo. “We express our solidarity and our call to remain vigilant and, in the face of such tragedies, to express our full solidarity.”
Emma Marie Laurent's final social media post
In her final update to her social media on October 2, Laurent - who called herself a “barefoot BFF” on social media - shared a video from a recent trip to Portugal.
“I think the most beautiful people, inside and out, are those who know how to admire the world around them,” she wrote in French.
On September 26, she posted a reel of herself waking up from the back of a truck, captioning the post, “The goal in life: to find someone who prefers this to a five-star hotel.”
Since her passing, followers have taken to the comments of her post to express their condolences to her friends and family.
“Gone far too soon ❤️” one wrote.
“All my thoughts are with her family and loved ones!” another added.
“🤍rest in peace 🤍 RIP,” a third fan posted.
The fatal incident is still being investigated. It is not yet known if the driver is facing any charges.