Armero eruption haunts Colombia 30 years on

Armero ,Colombia, 13 Nov - Thirty years after a volcanic eruption wiped out the city of Armero, Colombia is still haunted by the tragedy, and by the wide black eyes of its most iconic victim. The image seared into collective memory from the 1985 eruption and the deadly mudslide it triggered is that of Omayra Sanchez, a 13-year-old girl trapped in the debris who died after three days of futile efforts to save her.  
Footage of Omayra pinned down in a pool of muddy water was broadcast around the world, raising an outcry over the authorities' failures in responding to a disaster that killed more than 25,000 people. The young girl, who was conscious nearly to the end, bore her fate with quiet dignity as emergency workers struggled to free her legs from the mangled remains of her house.They eventually gave up, deciding the best they could do was comfort her. Three decades on, Omayra is still remembered for her pitch-black eyes, which stare out damningly in a picture that won the World Press Photo of the Year award. "Thirty years later, I still have nightmares," says Olga Villalobos, who was going on 13 at the time.     -AFP