Veronica Grondona (centre), daughter Maia (left) and husband Claudio Barbuzza, are devastated at the deaths of Grondona's mother and brother in the central Italy earthquake. Photo / Givealittle.
Veronica Grondona (centre), daughter Maia (left) and husband Claudio Barbuzza, are devastated at the deaths of Grondona's mother and brother in the central Italy earthquake. Photo / Givealittle.
The mother and brother of an "adored" Hamilton kindergarten teacher who were killed in Italy's 6.2 magnitude earthquake, were asleep in their family home when the quake struck.
Veronica Grondona rushed back to Italy on Thursday with her husband Claudio Barbuzza, just hours after receiving the devastating news.
The couple had to leave behind their 15-year-old daughter Maia Barbuzza because of the uncertainty of the situation, as hundreds of aftershocks continue to rattle central Italy.
At least 250 people were killed and 360 injured in the 3.30am local time earthquake, which brought down hundreds of old buildings and homes across several cities and regions including Amatrice.
The deaths included Grondona's mother Anna Maria Masciolini, 68, and brother Luca Grondona, 35, who were holidaying at their home in Villa San Lorenzo, near Amatrice, about 90km from Rome.
Italian news site Tuscia Web reported Masciolini was an active and engaged member of the community.
Tributes were pouring in on social media.
Grondona's colleague and teaching supervisor Emma Shaw said the 37-year-old "just cried" when she revealed the news to friends in Hamilton.
"She's very heartbroken. I don't think she has been home in the last couple of years either so she hasn't seen her mother or brother for about two years."
Shaw said she had set up a Givealittle page to help Grondona and her family through the difficult time.
"She's the most generous, caring, loveliest person that I've ever met. "The kids just adore her and because she's got that neat accent they think she's so cool."
Luca Grondona died with his mother in his family home in central Italy when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the middle of the night on Wednesday. Photo / Tuscia Web.
Shaw said Grondona was popular among parents and a much-loved early childhood teacher who had graduated from Wintec in 2013.
She and her husband had settled in New Zealand with their daughter after years of travelling the world, Shaw said.
They loved New Zealand's lifestyle because it offered easy access to both winter and summer outdoor activities.
By this afternoon the Givealittle page had already raised $5500 which Shaw said was "amazing".
