Omayra Sánchez: The 13-Year-Old Who Was Trapped For Three Days In A Mudflow
Wikimedia CommonsThis picture of Omayra Sánchez captured one of the worst deaths in history.
In November 1985, French photojournalist Frank Fournier arrived in the small Colombian town of Armero, which had just been almost entirely demolished by mudslides in the aftermath of a nearby volcanic eruption.
Fournier was hailed by a farmer, who informed him that there was a little girl in need of help. He followed the farmer through the thick, heavy sludge that covered the ground, and eventually, the two came upon Omayra Sánchez, a 13-year-old girl who was buried up to her neck in the muddy water and debris. While she had been trapped for three days, she was still alive.
Though rescue workers attempted to save Omayra, they were unable to pull her out from the debris. Chillingly, they later discovered that her legs had been trapped by a brick door and her dead aunt’s arms.
By the time Fournier arrived, Omayra was drifting in and out of consciousness, as three days of being exposed to the elements had weakened her. As Fournier sat by her side, she told him she was worried about missing school. She even asked if Fournier could take her there.
Fournier sat by Omayra’s side for three hours, capturing her final moments in a series of heartwrenching images. She finally asked the volunteers around her to let her rest, and bidding her mother adiós, she died.
“When I took the pictures I felt totally powerless in front of this little girl, who was facing death with courage and dignity,” Fournier said. “I felt that the only thing I could do was to report properly… and hope that it would mobilize people to help the ones that had been rescued and had been saved.”
Indeed, the pictures sparked a backlash against Colombia’s lackluster rescue efforts. The volcanic eruption and subsequent mudslide ultimately claimed 25,000 lives, many of whom suffered horrific deaths just like Omayra. And in the town of Armero, only a fifth of the population survived.
But while the government was forced to answer for its inaction in the aftermath, the images also sparked criticisms of Fournier’s photojournalism and debates over whether he should’ve taken the pictures at all.
Fournier, for his part, stood by his difficult decision to photograph Omayra and share her tragic story with the public. He said, “There are hundreds of thousands of Omayras around the world — important stories about the poor and the weak and we photojournalists are there to create the bridge. I was lucky that I could act as a bridge to link people with her.”
After reading about some of the worst deaths in history, take a look at some of the most unusual deaths from around the world. Or, check out the strangest deaths of famous historical figures.
