The photographer who photographed the last moments of a young girl’s life in the Armero tragedy speaks out
The photographer of an unsettling image depicting a young girl moments before her death in a mudslide spoke out about the pictures three decades after taking it.
Over the years, a heartbreaking photo of one of the victims of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption in Colombia has repeatedly resurfaced online, saddening everyone who hears about its story.
Now, the photographer himself has spoken out on the image and the 13-year-old girl who lost her life shortly after the picture was taken.
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The Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption happened back on November 13, 1985, in the city of Armero, Colombia.
The eruption not only shot out lava onto the nearby town, but also prompted massive landslides and mudslides that furthered the damage done to the area.
As a result of the eruption and its aftermath, which is now known as the Armero Tragedy, it is believed that 25,000 lives were lost, with thousands more facing severe injuries.
Among those lives was Omayra, a 13-year-old girl who was trapped beneath debris with half of her body being submerged in sewage water.
Despite many attempts to help the young girl to safety, including by the rescue workers who arrived on the scene following the incident, her legs were fully pinned down by an immovable brick door. She died after 60 hours of being trapped under its weight.
Frank Fournier was a French photographer who captured Omayra’s final moments, and creating a heartbreaking image that caused outrage around the world.
Fournier recalled Omayra’s death during a lecture at the 2022 Xposure International Photography Festival, commending her for her bravery and remembering the importance of the photo.
“For three nights and three days – stuck in a pool of sewage water at the bottom of a small hill, lay crushed under layers upon layers of fallen wall, a voice was to speak in the name of 28,000,” Fournier began.
“It was a voice of an ordinary little girl who will cross land and time, and will bounce and pierce the heart of millions of people… A commanding dignity, a stunning courage and a relentless kindness during this oppressive and painful hour reveals more than ever the magnitude of every single individual.”
Fournier concluded by explaining what he believes we can learn from the photo: “The cruel fate of this lost life – here, but also in the other story imposed to all of us to preserve and share is the singularity of human life at all costs.”
“It is not only a practical, but ethical, political, imperative, as each individual has a right to life for the gain of everyone.”