Nevado del Ruiz Erupts: Mudslide Buries 23,000 in Armero
The glacier didn't explode — it melted. Nevado del Ruiz's eruption in November 1985 wasn't the killer. The real killer was water, turned to mud, racing 60 miles per hour down river valleys toward sleeping Armero. Scientists had warned Colombian officials weeks earlier. Maps even existed showing Armero sat directly in the lahar's path. But evacuation orders never came. Within four minutes, 23,000 people were gone. Thirteen-year-old Omayra Sánchez became the disaster's face — trapped in debris for 60 hours while the world watched. The volcano didn't bury Armero. The warnings did.
November 13, 1985
41 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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