Movie tells tragic story behind infamous image of young girl who died after being trapped in volcanic mudflow for 60 hours
A 2017 film depicts the story behind the harrowing image of a young kill who spent 60 hours trapped under volcanic mudflow.
On 13 November 1985, the town of Armero in Colombia was devastated when an eruption from the Nevado del Ruiz sent volcanic mudflow (known as lahars) sweeping through the town late at night.
The devastation would claim the lives of 20,000 out of the 29,000 residents of the Armero and leave the town permanently abandoned.
One of the most famous victims of the lahars was 13-year-old Omayra Sánchez Garzón who was photographed while buried in mud up to her shoulders.
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Omayra would spend a total of 60 hours trapped in the mudflow after rescuers realised they were unable to pull her out of the lahar as the roof of her house was pinning her down.
After several failed rescue attempts, it became clear that nothing else could be done to save Omayra and responders then focused on keeping her as comfortable as possible during her final hours.
Omayra would remain positive for the majority of the time she was trapped, giving interviews to the journalists, accepting gifts of sweets and allowing Frank Fournier to take the heartbreaking image of her submerged in the muddy water.
After three days, her hands turned white and her eyes became so bloodshot that they appeared to turn black, she would begin to hallucinate in her final hours before passing away from either gangrene or hypothermia.
Omayra's face and heartbreaking story would go on to become arguably the most famous symbol of the tragedy, which means it shouldn't come as a surprise that her story was included in a film about the eruption.
Released in 2017, Spanish-language film Armero details the events leading up to the eruption as well as the terrifying aftermath.
Watch the trailer below:
The trailer depicts what was likely the day-to-day lives of inhabitants in the town prior to the eruption, including a young couple who are preparing for marriage. The devastating impact of the mudslides can also be seen, with a girl portraying Omayra's story appearing on screen at one point.
Meanwhile, authorities can be seen struggling to decide on a plan of action for the town, which was located just 48 km (30 miles) away from the volcano.
Government officials are also shown to be split on whether or not to evacuate the town, something which didn't end up happening.
The Colombian government would later face backlash from citizens, who felt that not enough had been done to prepare for the tragedy.
Topics: World News, Environment
Brenna Cooper