‘It was love’ – Philippine family mourns daughter who died saving kin in quake

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By Adrian Portugal

BOGO, Philippines (Reuters) -In front of Juvy Ytang lay 11 caskets— all victims of a landslide triggered by a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday in the central Philippines. 

Among them was her 17-year-old daughter, Lady Jane, who died saving her family, one of at least 72 people killed in the quake that struck off the island of Cebu.  

Ytang, 45, recounted how her daughter rushed into a room in their home in Bogo City, shouting frantically as the ground shook, telling her to protect her two-month old baby brother.

Lady Jane threw herself over her family members in a desperate attempt to shield them from falling debris. 

Moments later, she was struck fatally on the head when a landslide partially buried their house.

“It was love. She protected her mother, her siblings, her family,” Ytang said, holding her baby as she stared at her daughter’s coffin during a funeral on Thursday held outdoors under a makeshift tent.

Her baby survived with minor bruises, while her husband, Silvestre, had head and foot injuries. 

“She saved us. She was the reason we lived, but she was the one who died,” he said. 

Many of the victims were killed when buildings and homes collapsed – either due to the quake itself or landslides that followed. Heavy rain and the absence of power also hampered rescue efforts and more than 300 people were injured. 

During a visit to hard-hit Bogo city on Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured victims of financial support and food and water for thousands of displaced families.

Ytang’s family is devastated and in limbo. With their home buried and aftershocks still being reported, they cannot return. 

“We prayed for her,” Ytang said of her daughter. “We just pray and leave it to the Lord.” 

(Reporting by Adrian Portugal; Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty)