Tragic last words of a young girl who died after being trapped in a volcanic mudflow for 60 hours
Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing
Colombian teenager Omayra Sánchez Garzón spoke her heartbreaking last words before losing her life in a volcanic eruption.
Sánchez had spent 60 hours in a volcanic mudflow before succumbing to the elements after rescue workers decided they could no longer save her life.
On November 13, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in Colombia. About 20,000 of the 29,000 inhabitants of Armero were killed and the city was completely destroyed and could not be rebuilt.
The death toll from surrounding areas rose to a total of 25,000, while the town of Armero was completely deserted.
The Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)
The destruction caused by the volcano was particularly devastating because the erupting volcanic material melted the mountain’s glaciers and created a deadly pyroclastic mudflow known as a “lahar.”
It is believed that Armero was hit by three separate lahars, causing major destruction.
Perhaps most devastating about the Armero tragedy was that several of the town’s original survivors later lost their lives because rescue workers failed to free the survivors who became trapped among volcanic mudslides and debris.
One of the most famous victims was 13-year-old Omayra.
She and her brother survived the lahar that hit their house. Her father and aunt died immediately afterward. However, she suffered a devastating fate as rescue workers were unable to pull her from the rubble.
Divers later discovered that the teenager’s legs were stuck under the blanket and held by the arms of her deceased aunt.
After several failed attempts to free Omayra, rescuers were faced with the devastating reality that there was nothing more they could do to save her.
The girl’s eyes became so bloodshot that they appeared black. (Wikimedia Commons)
Rescue workers then set about making the girl as comfortable as possible, putting a tube around her to keep her afloat while onlookers brought her candy and lemonade.
Despite her terrible situation, Omayra remained positive throughout most of her time in captivity, passing the time singing and giving interviews to journalists.
On the third night, however, she began to hallucinate and told the people around her that she couldn’t be late for school because she had a math test. Her hands turned white and her eyes became so bloodshot that they seemed to turn black.
Bystanders who filmed the situation were able to record her last words. The girl said: “Mommy, I love you so much, Daddy, I love you, Brother, I love you.”
Omayra died on November 16. The cause of death is suspected to be gangrene or hypothermia.
She left behind her brother and mother, who had traveled to Bogotá on business before the eruption.
When asked about her daughter’s heartbreaking death, Omayra’s mother said: “It is terrible, but we have to think about the living… I will live for my son who only lost a finger.”