Why photographer who took haunting photo of trapped girl with black eyes didn't try and save her
Warning: This article contains content some readers may find upsetting
In November 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in Colombia, killing 20,000 residents in the town of Armero.
A number of them did survive the initial eruption but became stuck in debris and caught in the devastating mudslide.
One of them was 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez and after photographer Frank Fournier took an image of her trapped, she became the face of the disaster.
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With the photo now so famous, you might know her better as the tragic young girl with the black eyes.
Omayra spent 60 hours stuck before succumbing to the elements and it is often questioned why Fournier did not try and save her. There were multiple efforts made to free her but unfortunately, it was accepted that little could be done.
What happened to Omayra Sánchez?
When Fournier arrived in Armero, a farmer took him to see the young girl ‘who needed help’.
The Frenchman explained that Omayra was ‘trapped from the waist down by concrete and other debris from the collapsed houses’.
“Dawn was just breaking and the poor girl was in pain and very confused,” he explained to the BBC decades later. “She could sense that her life was going.”
She was ‘drifting in and out of consciousness’, having been ‘in a large puddle’ for nearly three days.
And about three hours after Fournier got there, Omayra sadly died.
It was ‘impossible’ to rescue her
Multiple efforts were made to free Omayra from the debris, but in reality, little could be done but to comfort her.
It was reportedly discovered that the girl’s legs were trapped by a brick door and her dead aunt’s arms under the water.
With a lack of the heavy equipment to rescue her, a tyre was placed around the teen to keep her afloat while people brought her sweets and drinks.
Fournier said it was ‘impossible’ to rescue her, as he explained: “There was an outcry - debates on television on the nature of the photojournalist, how much he or she is a vulture.
“But I felt the story was important for me to report and I was happier that there was some reaction; it would have been worse if people had not cared about it. I am very clear about what I do and how I do it, and I try to do my job with as much honesty and integrity as possible.
“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.”
Topics: History
Jess Battison