Malaga village in mourning following death of much-loved town hall cleaning service employee

The village of Benamargosa in Malaga province's Axarquía is in mourning following the sudden death of a member of the town hall staff. Victoria Yuste Heredia, a 56-year-old cleaner, was found dead on Saturday 26 July on a street in the village. She was not working at the time of her death.

The body showed no signs of violence, so the main hypothesis is that it was a natural death, possibly from a heart attack. However, the cause of death is pending the autopsy to be performed on the body at the Ciudad de la Justicia (courts) in Malaga city.

Benamargosa town hall has issued a statement on its social media page expressing its condolences "at the death of our colleague Victoria Yuste Heredia, a cleaning service worker, who left us suddenly at the age of 56".

The town hall posted a black ribbon as its profile picture on Facebook which has attracted many comments from residents who have also posted messages of condolence. "Rest in peace. I saw her every day with her dog, her faithful companion, who followed her everywhere. What a beautiful friendship they had. My sincere condolences to her family," wrote Antonio Fortes Hijano.

María José Cortés wrote: "It's so sad, so young, rest in peace, I will always remember you sweeping those streets with your little dog, the injustices of this life." While María José Rodríguez Porras remembers her as "a good, loving woman. I have very fond memories of her, she was always a sweetheart. Another star in the sky. Fly high. My deepest condolences to her family, siblings and children. Rest in peace."

The town hall said that "Victoria had been part of the municipal staff for many years and those who worked with her remember her fondly and are grateful for her daily dedication. Her absence leaves a void among us. We extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends".

There were two days of official mourning, during which all planned institutional activities were suspended.