A Grand Prairie couple who had just bought their dream vacation home in Mexico both died after the condo exploded, according to family members.
Gabriel Nunez and his wife Marcela Caballero arrived in Tulum, Mexico, on Nov. 17 to furnish and decorate their new condo. The next day the apartment exploded while the couple slept, their daughter Brenda Saldana told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Nunez and Caballero were critically injured with third-degree burns. They were airlifted to a Mexico City hospital where Nunez died the day after Thanksgiving, according to WFAA. Caballero died Nov. 29.
“It was all so sudden and a shock to both me and my brother and right now, we’re just trying to figure out everything out on our own,” Saldana told WFAA.
Saldana said at first she couldn’t believe it when she learned of the explosion. Her mother had just sent her a video of the newly-furnished apartment, WFAA reported.
“It was a brand-new property,” Saldana told WFAA. “So I never would think that could have happened.”
Dallas lawyer Juan Hernandez has filed a lawsuit against the property owners of Selva Norte, where the explosion happened.
Hernandez told WFAA that explosions like this are not uncommon in Mexico, especially in areas where there are a lot of new buildings. In this case, residents at Selva Norte had complained about gas leaking the day before Nunez and Caballero’s condo exploded.
“Personal injury is almost nonexistent in Mexico, save for except a few situations,” Hernandez said to WFAA. “This may be one of them where the developers are going to be held liable criminally.”
Nunez and Caballero leave behind a 22-year-old daughter Brenda and a 17-year-old son.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the couple’s medical expenses and funeral costs.
“There is a lot of people in need. This family is certainly one of them,” Hernandez told WFAA.