A Colombian family from southern Bogotá is grappling with tragedy after losing Harold Pardo, 31, who drowned earlier this month while swimming with friends at a beach in Los Angeles, California.
According to relatives, Pardo had left Colombia in October 2023 in search of better job opportunities in the United States, where he had settled with his partner and their children. Details about the exact circumstances of the drowning remain limited, but reports indicate that lifeguards and bystanders attempted to revive him at the scene. Despite those efforts, he could not be saved and was pronounced dead following the incident.
His death has left his family in Bogotá devastated and facing the added burden of costs to repatriate his remains. Bringing a body back from abroad typically involves significant expenses, including transportation, paperwork, and funeral arrangements, which can add up to thousands of dollars — a heavy financial strain for many families. Pardo’s relatives are now appealing to the public and local organizations for financial support to cover these costs so they can give him a proper farewell in his home country.
Cases like this highlight the risks faced by migrants who leave Colombia for the U.S. in search of a better future, and the emotional and financial toll their deaths often place on families left behind.
You can read the original report at El Tiempo for more details.
Source: Colombiano murió ahogado en el mar de Los Ángeles, en EE.UU., cuando nadaba con amigos: familia solicita ayuda (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: David N Cooper, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).