March 18, 2011. Iloilo City, Philippines. Mary Louise Anne Amantillo, 23, of Iloilo, was among the four names of confirmed dead released by the Christchurch Media Liaison Team and posted on the New Zealand Police website. Her picture is shown below when she was still alive wading at the beach in her hometown in Balasan, Iloilo, Philippines.
Days earlier, she was reported missing since the Christchurch earthquake that happened on Feb. 22, 2011.
The young nurse sent a text message to her parents back in the Philippines as she lay trapped in the rubble of the CTV building. The first text message said: “Ma, I got buried.” About 40 minutes later: “Ma, I can’t move my right hand.” Then, she made a brief call to her parents pleading to send help. Mary went to New Zealand to obtain more experience in the English language.
The New Zealand police said a total 146 names of those who died have been released. The body of Amantillo’s close friend and college classmate Valquin Bensurto was identified on a later date.
The two left for New Zealand on February 12 to find work and were trapped inside the Canterbury Television (CTV) Building when it collapsed during the earthquake.