According to the United States Geological Survey, On November 13th, 1985, the mighty Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, shattering the lives of many people. Melting of the mountaintop snows as a result of the incredible heat, the eruption caused far more problems than the typical rain of ash and fire. The melted snow and ice caused the nearby Azufrado, and Gauli rivers to overflow and consume nearby settlements. Hardest hit was the small town of Armero, where three quarters of its population, 23,000 out of 28,700, died in the flood. (Nevado del Ruiz) Most tragic of these many deaths was that of Omayra Sanchez, a thirteen year old girl trapped in the mud following the eruption. Try as they might, the locals could not free the young girl from her prison of filth. Three days after the eruption, on November 16th, Omayra Sanchez passed away from dehydration and fatigue. (Cibertol) Eyewitnesses report that she met her death with bravery, free of fear. For this, she has become the symbol of the Armero tragedy, and rightfully so. One can only admire her courage in the face of death.
The eruption of the Nevado Ruiz was regarded as the second worst volcano disaster of the twentieth century. (Deadly Lahars) Because of the vast number of people killed, the incident attracted the attention of the world media. Many journalists arrived, and one of them was Frank Fournier, an award winning photographer. In Armero he took perhaps the most famous photo relating to the tragedy, a photograph of Omayra Sanchez. (Fournier 144) This photograph captured the courage of the young girl better than any other taken. Looking at the picture, I can't even imagine what it must have been like to die as this little girl did, neck deep in filth. Most striking is the girl's face, holding an expression of sadness, but not fear. .
Frank Fournier's photograph has, at least for me, brought up a number of questions. Why did this girl have to die? What circumstances prevented her from being saved? Could the photographer have lent a helping hand in this situation, or was the situation too dangerous and the mud too thick? Though Omayra died, it was not because of the lack of effort put into her rescue.
