Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing

When the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in Colombia, around 20,000 of the 29,000 inhabitants of the city of Armero were killed and the town was devastated.

In the surrounding areas, 25,000 people were killed and the city was eventually completely abandoned.

One of the reasons this volcanic eruption is believed to have been so deadly is because it melted the glaciers on the mountain and created a pyroclastic mudflow known as a lahar.

It is believed that the town of Armero was hit by three of these events, killing even more residents than those who survived the first eruption.

One of the most famous victims was the 13-year-old girl Omayra Sánchez Garzón, who was left lying among rubble and volcanic mud.

Several rescue attempts were made to save Omayra’s life, but they failed to get her out and after several days she died.

This is the photo taken by Frank Fournier of 13-year-old Omayra Sánchez Garzón. (Wikimedia Commons/Frank Fournier)

Rescue attempts were made but they were unsuccessful and the people who tried to save her life could do little more than comfort her in her final hours, putting a tire around her to keep her afloat while they brought her sweets and drinks.

She died on November 16, three days after the eruption, either from hypothermia or gangrene, saying, “Mommy, I love you so much, Daddy, I love you, brother, I love you.”

Divers later discovered that the 13-year-old’s legs were trapped under the roof of her house and held by the arms of her deceased aunt.

One of the reasons for her fame was a photograph taken of her by photographer Frank Fournier.

He took a photo of the girl, whose eyes were so bloodshot they appeared black.

Fournier’s photo went around the world and he said the girl “faced death with courage and dignity.” He remembers that she began to hallucinate and asked the photographer to take her to school because she was afraid of being late.

When the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupted in 1985, thousands of people died. (JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

The photographer recalled that some people asked him afterwards: “Why didn’t you help her? Why didn’t you get her out?”

He told the BBC that it had been “impossible” to save the girl, saying: “There was an outcry – there was a debate on television about the nature of the photojournalist, to what extent he or she was a vulture.”

“But I felt it was important for me to cover the story and I was glad there was a response. It would have been worse if people hadn’t been interested.

“I am very open about what I do and how I do it, and I try to do my work with as much honesty and integrity as possible.

“I believe the photo helped raise funds for aid around the world and highlighted the irresponsibility and lack of courage of the country’s leaders.

“There was an obvious lack of leadership. There were no evacuation plans, even though scientists had predicted the catastrophic magnitude of the volcanic eruption.”

“People still find the image disturbing. It underscores the enduring power of this little girl. I was lucky to be able to act as a bridge to connect people to her. That’s the magic of it.”