Wikipedia:Today's featured article/August 28, 2013

Omayra Sánchez Garzón (1972–85) was a 13-year-old Colombian girl killed in Armero, Colombia, by the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz. Volcanic debris mixed with ice to form massive lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides, and debris flows) that rushed into the river valleys below the mountain, killing nearly 25,000 people and destroying Armero and 13 other villages. After a lahar demolished her home, Sánchez was trapped beneath the debris of her house for three days. Her plight was documented as she descended from calmness into agony. Her courage and dignity touched journalists and relief workers. After 60 hours of struggling, she died, likely due to exposure. Her death highlighted the failure of officials to respond promptly to the threat of the volcano and the efforts of volunteer rescue workers despite a dearth of supplies and equipment. Sánchez became internationally famous through a photograph of her taken shortly before her death by the photojournalist Frank Fournier, which was designated the World Press Photo of the Year for 1985. She is remembered in music, literature, and commemorative articles. (Full article...)

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