A 13-year-old girl tragically became the symbol of a devastating volcanic tragedy.

Colombian teenager Omayra Sánchez Garzón died along with tens of thousands of others when the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted on November 13, 1985.

20,000 of Armero’s 29,000 residents died when the eruption triggered a massive landslide that buried the entire town and left helpless Omayra buried under the rubble.

With her legs in the water and mud, she was stuck there for three agonizing days.

While rescue teams attempted to free them, they lacked the necessary equipment to get them out.

Omayra Sánchez Garzón, 13, fell victim to a volcanic eruption in Colombia after being trapped there for three days. (Frank Fournier)

Despite these hopeless circumstances, Omayra showed great bravery and courage as the media shared her tragic story with the world.

Photojournalist Frank Fournier captured Omayra’s dark eyes in a now-famous image; the picture was named World Press Photo of the Year in 1986.

And the heartbreaking reason for the dark color of her eyes was the long immersion in the water and the pressure of the debris that held her captive.

This resulted in severely bloodshot eyes that appeared black in the photograph.

Fournier told the BBC: “She was lying in a large puddle and was trapped from the waist down by concrete and other debris from the collapsed buildings.”

“She had been there for nearly three days. It was just dawn and the poor girl was in pain and completely confused.

“Hundreds of people were trapped all around. Rescue workers had difficulty reaching them.

“I could hear people screaming for help and then there was silence – an eerie silence. It was very haunting.”

Rescue attempts were made, but were unsuccessful. (Frank Fournier)

“Some helicopters, some borrowed from an oil company, tried to rescue people.

“Then there was this little girl and people were powerless to help her. Rescuers kept coming back to her, local farmers and some people who provided medical assistance. They tried to comfort her.

“When I took the pictures, I felt completely powerless in the face of this little girl who faced death with courage and dignity. She felt that her life was coming to an end.

“I felt that the only thing I could do was to adequately report on the courage, suffering and dignity of the little girl and hope that this would mobilize people to help those who had been rescued.

“I felt like I had to share what this little girl had to go through.”

Omayra Sánchez died on November 16, 1985, after spending nearly 60 hours trapped.