Omayra Sánchez
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Omayra Sánchez was a 13-year old victim of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano which erupted on November 14, 1985 in Armero, Colombia, killing 25,000. She was trapped for 3 days in water, concrete, and other debris before she died.
Her image was taken shortly before she died. It caused controversy due to the photographer's work and the Colombian government's inaction in the midst of the tragedy, when it was published worldwide after the young girl's death.
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[edit] Plight
Omayra Sanchez was 13 years old at the time and lived with her parents, her brother and an uncle. However, prior to the tragedy, her mother had traveled to Bogotá on business. Omayra could not escape and was trapped under her own home's concrete and debris.
When rescue teams tried to help her, they realized that her legs were trapped.
The people who were trying to save her life tried to get a pump so the water could have been drained out. After two days a pump was delivered, but did not work properly and finally got stuck because of the mud and debris.[citation needed]
[edit] Death
Omayra was trapped up to her neck in water, concrete, and other debris for three days before she succumbed to gangrene and hypothermia. During three nights of agony, Omayra seemed strong but was suffering. According to Cristina Echandia, a journalist who kept records of the events, Omayra sang and had normal conversations with the people who were trying to help her. The little girl was thirsty and scared. On the third night, Omayra began hallucinating, she did not want to be late for school. At some point she asked the people to leave her so they could rest. Some of the witness claim that she said that "the Lord was waiting for her" before her death.
Television coverage of the disaster introduced her to the world when she was still alive. The photo shown here was taken hours before her death and published after her death.
[edit] Criticism of the government
The Armero catastrophe came shortly after the M-19 guerrilla group's raid and subsequent Palace of Justice siege on November 6, worsening an already chaotic situation. After her death, some blamed the Colombian government's inaction and indifference for Omayra's death and in general for not doing more to prevent or minimize the Armero tragedy.
[edit] Legacy
The volcano Nevado del Ruiz is still classified "as active as that November 13", according to Hans Meyer, Director of the Volcano Watch Center in Colombia. However, at this point no other city or town remains close enough to be seriously affected in the event of an eruption. The only city, Armero, no longer exists and was turned into a memorial of the disaster where only crosses can be seen.
Omayra Sanchez herself remains in the memory of those who followed her suffering and tragic death. Some local newspapers commemorated both the 20 years of the volcanic eruption as well as Omayra's death, and her case was also mentioned in TV and radio commemorations. Nonetheless, no specific monument has been created in her name as of yet.
