Haunting TV footage showed girl whose eyes turned black after being trapped in volcanic mudflow for 60 hours

Warning: This article contains images which some readers may find distressing.

Haunting TV footage has captured some of the last moments of a little girl who was tragically killed after spending 60 hours in a mudflow in Colombia.

In 1985, the small village of Armero became victim to one of the most deadly volcanic eruptions in history, as more than 20,000 people perished in the South American country in the wake of the disaster.

Despite warnings the year prior that the Nevado del Ruiz could soon erupt, local villages were left at the mercy of the 17,000ft volcano and sadly, it would claim over 23,000 lives and cause a huge amount of long-lasting damage.

While it wasn't quite on the same impact as the world would see if a super volcano such as Yellowstone erupted, local areas were entirely unprepared after 69 years of dormancy, and it still had some pretty devastating consequences.

The volcanic eruption caused glaciers on the mountain to melt, leading to pyroclastic mudflows known as a 'lahars'. Four of these deadly landslides sped down the volcano's slopes at over 30mph, killing over 20,000 of Armero's 29,000 inhabitants.

One victim was 13-year-old Omayra Sánchez Garzón, who became famous across the world following her death after a heartbreaking photo of her trapped in the mud was shared, showing her eyes turning black.

Footage has now also gone viral of the teenager's last moments, as she was tragically left in the mudflow to die, with rescue workers left helpless and unable to do anything but comfort her as she sadly waited for death.

More than 60 hours in the mud caused her eyes to turn black, possibly due to her prolonged submersion in the water, as well as the pressure being applied to her body from the rubble. Not long after, she died.

Frank Fournier, the photo-journalist who took the viral photo of her final moments, has previously spoken about why he was unable to help her out of the water and how her death would prove to be the catalyst towards more support from the Colombian government to ensure that disasters of this scale would never happen again.

He said: "She was in a large puddle, trapped from the waist down by concrete and other debris from the collapsed houses.

"She had been there for almost three days. Dawn was just breaking and the poor girl was in pain and very confused.

In 1985, a Colombian girl named Omayra Sánchez was trapped in a volcanic mudflow up to her waist. Knowing she would die, volunteers and rescuers did their best to comfort her. She passed away after 60 hours. pic.twitter.com/f11jgYPpOA

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) April 7, 2025

"I believe the photo helped raise money from around the world in aid and helped highlight the irresponsibility and lack of courage of the country's leaders.

"There was an obvious lack of leadership. There were no evacuation plans, yet scientists had foreseen the catastrophic extent of the volcano's eruption.

"People still find the picture disturbing. This highlights the lasting power of this little girl. I was lucky that I could act as a bridge to link people with her. It's the magic of the thing."