Omayra Sánchez was only 13 when the Nevado del Ruiz erupted in November 1985. The eruption caused a lahar to demolish her family house and killed her father and aunt.
Her village was destroyed, and so did the twelve other villages.
Sánchez trapped for 3 days
Sánchez was unlucky as well. When the lahar flowed through their home, she was stuck beneath the debris of her house. Despite all of that, it took a while for the rescue mission to arrive. Due to that, Sánchez was trapped in the muddy water for three days. When the rescue teams arrived, they could not free her as her feet were trapped on the house’s roof. Notwithstanding the terrible event, she remained calm and caught the media’s attention.
A journalist working as a volunteer, Germán Santa María Barragán, who was there with her, witnessed her positive side. Sánchez sang him a song. She also ate and drank. However, at times, she got low and began to hallucinate. She was scared because she did not want to miss lessons at school. To think about it, how can anyone remember school?
Sánchez was freed, only that it was only half of her body. According to the rescuers, it was impossible to free her without getting her feet broken. They also gave her a tire to keep her afloat, because each time someone pulled her, the water rose. After 60 hours of holding on for dear life, Sánchez died, likely due to gangrene or hypothermia.
The last photo of Omayra Sánchez
A photographer managed to capture the moment before her last breath. The picture enraged the public. People thought it was disturbing. Nevertheless, the photographer, Frank Fournier, thought that he, as a photographer must “create a bridge.” The photograph portrayed the girl’s “lasting moment.”
Sánchez’s mother, who was out of town that day, commented on her daughter’s death. The thing that happened to her was tragic. However, she said, “we have to think about the living.” She would live for her son, who was also a victim, but lived. He lost a finger.
25,000 died in Armero Tragedy
The Armero Tragedy took away about 25,000 lives. The Nevado del Ruiz has shown signs of erupting since the 1840s. In 1985, the volcano erupted.
Sources: All That’s Interesting