In the quiet hours before dawn, Andrea Ortuño opened Instagram and chose faith over despair.
Just days after surviving a tourist boat tragedy in Indonesia last Christmas, the Spanish mother shared a message that felt less like a post and more like a prayer. Written through tears, it carried sorrow—but also trust, love, and a fragile hope that refused to die.
What began as an ordinary day ended in devastation on Dec. 27. By the end of the day, the sea turned unforgiving. Andrea’s husband and three children were reported missing, swallowed by the unfolding tragedy. She survived with one daughter, clinging to life while waiting for answers that came slowly and painfully.
On Dec. 29, authorities recovered the body of 12-year-old María Lía. On Jan. 4, her husband, 44-year-old Fernando Martín, was found. Two days later, fishermen discovered 10-year-old Mateo, who had been carried 14 kilometres from the wreck. Only Quique, also 10, remains missing.
Back in Valencia, Andrea broke her silence. She wrote, “My heart is broken into pieces, but my soul is full of the love we are receiving.” Adding that her faith gives her “great peace.” She believes her loved ones are already in heaven.
She speaks of her children in the present tense. She recalls a marriage built on joy and choice. Death, she insists, cannot erase love.
In the end, Andrea thanked her “four angels.” She feels them beside her still. “Now,” she wrote, “it’s time to continue—for half the team.”