A brilliant student with a promising future, surely living one of the most intense experiences of her life. The life of Blanca Ojanguren García ended tragically on a Friday that should have been relaxing and on vacation, enjoying a recreational activity among elephants, at the ‘Koh Yao Elephant Care’ sanctuary, located in the paradisiacal Thai province of Phang Nga. While she was bathing these animals, like many tourists who enjoy this activity that has become typical of the Asian country, one of them grabbed her with his trunk, throwing her into the air and causing injuries that ended her life. He was only 22 years old.
Blanca was on vacation with her boyfriend. He, of Asturian origin and an Infantry cadet in Toledo, as reported ‘The Commerce‘, witnessed the entire fateful event. In reality she lived in Taiwan, where she was doing a six-month exchange with Tamkang University and expanding her knowledge in international relations and foreign affairs. Currently, Blanca was studying the last year of the double degree in Law and International Relations at the University of Navarra.
Studies and sports
Despite her youth, Blanca had lived in various places: she was born in Santander when her family, with military roots, was transferred from San Sebastián, as she relates ‘The North of Castile‘. Finally, her parents, her two brothers and she ended up in Valladolid, where she completed her primary studies. She was a student at the Pinoalbar School, where she excelled with a grade of 9.89 in the Humanities and Social Sciences baccalaureate. She also stood out in sports: she was part of the rhythmic gymnastics team of the La Victoria Sports Club, with which she was proclaimed regional champion in 2017. It came from her caste: her father, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was closely linked to hockey (he was president of the Spanish Jockey Club) and horse riding.
Thanks to his brilliant grades, he entered the University of Navarra. To pursue his studies, he moved to Pamplona. After finishing the fourth year last year, he did a summer internship in the communication office of AJEMA (Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy), continuing with the career linked to the Army of his parents, both soldiers. Not all of the family were: her brother Javier, just two years older than her, is one of the members of Besmaya, an emerging indie-pop group that has toured the main Spanish cities in the last three years.
After the internship at AJEMA he moved to Taiwan. During the break from classes, according to El Mundo, she decided to take a trip to Thailand with her boyfriend, like the rest of her Spanish exchange classmates, who chose different nearby destinations to spend these fun days with friends and family before returning to the study. Fate has wanted Blanca to meet her sad end during this vacation respite. His colleagues are totally shocked by the event.
His relatives will travel to Thailand in the next few hours to accompany the body, which will be repatriated to Spain. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who confirmed the sad fact, “the Consulate in Bangkok is in contact with the relatives, offering all the necessary consular assistance,” sources from the department headed by José Manuel Albares told Europa Press.
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