A 33-YEAR-OLD nun from Derry killed in the Ecuador earthquake was trying to lead young women in a school to safety at the time.
Sr Clare Theresa Crockett, from the Brandywell area, was yesterday described by her family as a “superstar”.
The missionary nun died when a stairwell collapsed in the school where she worked in the aftermath of the powerful quake on Saturday that killed more than 270 people.
Her family believe she was trying to lead people out of the building.
Her cousin Emmet Doyle said: “She died as she lived, helping others.”
A further 2,500 people were injured in the quake that measured 7.8 on the Richter scale – the strongest to hit the South American country since 1979.
A state of emergency has since been declared in six of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, with 10,000 armed forces and 4,600 national police deployed.
Homes, buildings and roads have been reduced to rubble. More than 70 per cent of the town of Pedernales, a town of 40,000, has been destroyed.
Sr Clare was in the Home of the Mother order and had been teaching children in rural Playa Prieta, including how to play the guitar.
She died in the school along with five young women who were entering the religious order.
It is believed that they were running out of the building when the earthquake hit, trapping the women on a stairway.
Rescue teams pulled Sr Thérèse Ryan (36) free from the rubble along with four others. Sr Thérèse, from the Republic, has been treated for a fractured ankle and several bruises.
No children were in the school at the time of the collapse because the nuns and colleagues had been working to clean the building after floods in recent weeks.
Sr Clare’s family were told of the discovery of her body early yesterday. “She was the last sister found,” Mr Doyle said. “She was trying to get them down the stairs and the staircase collapsed. We knew she was trapped but information has been slow to come out.”
Mr Doyle added: “She was a superstar. Everybody loved her.” Sr Clare worked in Spain, the US and other parts of the world before going to Ecuador. The family home in the Brandywell has been inundated with relatives and friends since the news broke locally that Sr Clare had been missing over the weekend.
In a statement her family said: “On Sunday April 17 we lost our daughter, sister and aunt Sr Clare Theresa Crockett as a result of the earthquake in Ecuador. “She was situated in a school in Playa Prieta with the Home of the Mother order. At this difficult time we would ask for privacy.”
Irish consular officials in the embassy in Buenos Aires are accredited to Ecuador and are said to be ready to provide consular assistance to any affected Irish citizens.
A Justgiving fundraising campaign has been launched to help cover the costs of bringing Sr Clare’s remains home for burial. The campaign aims to raise £3,000 towards repatriation costs.
First Minister Arlene Foster yesterday expressed her sympathies. “It’s very, very sad. My deepest sympathy goes to the family in Londonderry,” she said. “I understand this lady joined an order and went out to serve and it is very sad to hear she has lost her life in Ecuador.”
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: “Sr Clare devoted her life to children and young people and died selflessly helping those in need in Ecuador. “Her death has shocked and saddened the entire community in Derry and further afield. “My thoughts are with all of Sr Clare’s family, friends and colleagues at this tragic time.”
