Tragic last words of young girl who died after getting trapped in volcanic mudflow for 60 hours
Warning: This article contains content some readers may find upsetting.
A teenage girl shared some heartbreaking final words before losing her life Colombia's deadliest natural disaster.
On 13 November, 1985, the South American nation's Nevado del Ruiz volcano exploded in the middle of the night, sending several lahars - volcanic mudflow - speeding towards local settlements.
The eruption took the residents of the nearby town of Armero by surprise, leaving them with no time to escape before being engulfed by three lahars.
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It's estimated that around 23,000 people were killed in the tragedy, which included 20,000 out of the 29,000 of Armero's residents.
One of the most notable stories from the tragedy is that of 13-year-old Omayra Sánchez Garzón.
Who was Omayra Sánchez Garzón?
On the night of the eruption Omayra was at home with her relatives. The lahar caused the roof of the house to collapse onto her body.
When rescuers attempted to free the teenager, they discovered the building was pinning her down, with Omayra's deceased aunt also holding onto her legs.
Several rescue attempts were made before responders were left with the devastating realisation, nothing could be done to save Omayra.
Rescuers then set about making the girl as comfortable as possible, placing a tyre around her in order to keep her afloat, while onlookers brought her sweets and soda.
Despite being trapped from the debris of her collapsed house and dead relative, Omayra initially remained positive about her situation, singing and giving interviews to journalists in the first couple of days.
However, by third evening her condition began to deteriorate. The teenager started to hallucinate - telling those around her that she could not be late to school as she had a maths exam - as her hands turned white.
Her eyes would also become so bloodshot that they appeared black, which had been immortalised in Frank Fournier's haunting image of the young girl.
Omayra would pass away on 16 November, with her cause of death believed to be either gangrene or hypothermia.
Onlookers filming the situation were able to record her final words, with the teen uttering: "Mommy, I love you so much, daddy I love you, brother I love you."
What happened to Omayra Sánchez Garzón's family?
As well as Omayra, the eruption also killed her father and aunt, while her brother survived after losing a finger.
The teenager's mother also survived the tragedy as she was away in the capital of Bogota on business.
When asked about her daughter's heartbreaking death, Omayra's mother would say: "It is horrible, but we have to think about the living... I will live for my son, who only lost a finger."
Topics: World News, Environment
Brenna Cooper