Ruthless volcano destroyed everything in its path – the story of Omayra Sanchez the 13 years old girl with beautiful eyes
Nature is the mother of all, it protects us but sometimes it unleashes and can have serious repercussions if we do not pay attention to the signs it gives us. One of the greatest natural disasters in human history that has resulted in many deaths is the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
Throughout history, there have been countless catastrophes that have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. When we think about earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, droughts, and other similar phenomena, our skin gets goosebumps, after realizing how fragile life is in such situations. In this article we talk about the event that took place on November 13, 1985, that resulted in almost 25,000 deaths. The story is about a little girl who went through terrible torments until the last moment.
The eruption of Nevado del Ruiz volcano has been declared the fourth deadliest in world history. What is very sad is that the eruption was not a total surprise, because it was known that it would erupt soon. But the people responsible for emergencies failed because they did not pay much attention. At that time, the main subject in Colombia was drugs. They didn’t move a finger for the imminent danger. Then, at around 9 pm, the monster begins to come to life. The mud resulting from the combination of snow on the top of the mountain, stones, and hot lava destroyed everything in its path. Vegetation set on fire, animals killed, 13 villages shot down and nearly 25,000 people killed in Colombia’s worst natural disaster.
She was caught in an avalanche of mud, stones, and ice and somehow remains blocked, the water touching her chin. At one point, Omayra shouted loudly for her mother, calling for her to help her get out of the pile of rocks where her frail body was trapped. But unfortunately, she would stay there for 60 hours, during which time she was photographed and filmed. Help? Apparently not. She eventually died of hypothermia and gangrene.
Her curly hair was losing its shimmer, her hands were starting to turn black because of the infections, and she was slowly falling out of this world. On November 16, 1985, Omayra passed away, in terrible pains. The family was not with her because they were killed by the ruthless volcano, and her mother was away, in Bogota, due to business. Frank Fournier, a French photographer, expresses his pain in a few words about what he saw there:
“I shot the frame in the morning, around 6.30. Colombian television had already arrived there. Three times I wanted to stop everything. Then I thought: no one cares what happens here. Everyone knew. I sent the staff to the center to show the world the drama, the tragedy.”
You can see the pictures he took that speak more than words. The little girl’s gaze says it all. It is so sad and tragic that so many people died in that huge tragedy. Share this story with your dear ones.
