Travel influencer Emma Marie Laurent has died at 24 after the vehicle she was traveling in was swept away by a river in Nicaragua.
The French national had built an audience of about 43,000 followers by sharing her nomadic lifestyle and travels online.
Laurent had recently traveled to Nicaragua with her friend Noë Lina Luscher, 20, to visit their friend Karen Nahomi López Montano, 19, who lived there.
The three women were passengers in a Toyota pickup traveling through El Manzano, a community in Nicaragua’s northwestern Chinandega department.
All three died on October 9 while attempting to cross the Nahualapa River.
Reports said heavy rain had caused the river to rise, and its strong current overwhelmed the vehicle as the group tried to cross.
The driver, Mexican national Martin Gerardo García Girón, reportedly left the pickup first to assess the depth of the water before the crossing began.
One report said the water reached his knees, but the current swept the vehicle downstream and caused it to overturn.
Travel influencer Emma Marie Laurent died at 24 after the vehicle she was traveling in was swept away by a swollen river in Nicaragua
The French influencer had attracted 43,000 followers by documenting her nomadic lifestyle online
The driver survived, although reports differ on whether he was the only person who escaped the incident.
A local report said two other French passengers, Roger Agustín Despouys Guillaume and Laurence Gillette Despouys Marie, also reached safety.
Authorities have not yet established the full circumstances surrounding the failed river crossing.
Nicaraguan co-president Rosario Murillo offered condolences to the victims’ families and cautioned people about the risks posed by rivers during the rainy season.
‘The issue is that they were crossing a river at a time when they may not have heard the warnings about the precautions we should take during these winter months,’ she said in a speech after the incident.
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‘Rivers are deceptive: You think they’re calm and, suddenly, the current comes rushing in.’
‘This is a tragedy. We express our solidarity and our call to remain vigilant and, in the face of such tragedies, to express our full solidarity,’ Murillo added.
Laurent’s final social media post reflected her appreciation for the small moments of everyday life.
Laurent and her two friends died on October 9 while trying to cross the Nahualapa River, which had reportedly risen after recent rainfall
The river’s powerful current swept away the vehicle and overturned it
Laurent, who described herself as ‘your barefoot BFF’ in her bio, had nearly 43,000 Instagram followers when she died
Friends and followers have shared an outpouring of tributes since news of her death emerged
‘I think the most beautiful people, inside and out, are those who know how to admire the world around them,’ she wrote.
She went on to celebrate those who notice the changing colors of the sky before sunset, stop to watch rain falling against a window and smile when they hear a stranger laughing.
Laurent, who used the phrase ‘your barefoot BFF’ in her bio, had around 43,000 Instagram followers at the time of her death.
Tributes from friends and fans have continued to appear online following the news.
‘It’s always the nicest people who leave first,’ one person wrote in an Instagram comment.
‘Gone far too soon,’ another said, while a third wrote: ‘I’m in denial… I can’t believe it.’
‘She always had a smile, was always in a good mood, she was an exceptional woman! You lived 24 years to the fullest.’
