Omayra Sánchez

Omayra Sánchez (born August 28, 1972 , † November 16, 1985 in Armero ) was a Colombian girl who was trapped in a mud hole during the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in the city of Armero on November 13, 1985.

Omayra was stuck up to his neck in rubble, mud, concrete and water and died on November 16, after more than 60 hours, of toxic gases and hypothermia . The rescue attempts were in vain, as a special pump would have been necessary, which did not arrive at the scene of the accident in time.

Their death throes were followed by millions of television viewers as part of the disaster coverage. The published film and photo recordings that documented her fate and death attracted much attention and were controversial. The main focus was on the role and behavior of the photographers and the lack of helpfulness of the Colombian government during the disaster. A picture of the trapped girl taken by photographer Frank Fournier was voted Press Photo of the Year 1985.

During her suffering, Omayra Sánchez always gave hope and confidence to her friends and relatives, also in public. Her mother survived the disaster as she was in Bogotá at the time . Her brother also survived, but her father died.

Web links

• World Press Photo Competition 1986 (English)
• Interview with Sánchez (Spanish with English translation)
• Gerhard Rupp: Bodo Kirchhoff's story "Omayra Sanchez and I" . A media fate in the mirror of literature and in the reconstruction by students in literature class. In: German Association of Germanists. Section of German teachers. Landesverband Westfalen / Lippe (Ed.): German lessons at the upper secondary level. Attempt to take stock of the work with the guidelines for lower secondary level . Münster 1989, p. 24-67 .