Londonderry nun is killed in Ecuador earthquake

Sister Clare Theresa Crockett from Iona Terrace in the Brandywell was described by a relative as “a diamond of the family”.

It has now emerged that the 33-year-old missionary was teaching three young children to play the guitar when the disaster occurred.

She had been trying to lead them to safety when the four storey building they were in collapsed on top of them on Sunday.

She had been in a school in Playa Prieta with other sisters from the Home of the Mother order at the time.

The relative said the family only received confirmation that Sr Clare was among the dead in the early hours of this morning.

He said: “It is unbelievable. She has been a missionary for 15 years and been all over the world doing her work.

“She died as she lived, helping people . She had a real dedication to her faith and we are all very proud of her.

“We are also devastated by her loss. She was always a diamond of the whole family.”

Sr Clare was among more than 270 people known to have lost their lives in the tragedy, with thousands more injured.