( why did they let those people die ?) What happened in Medellin on September 27, 1987 ??? ( Many people died for no excuse )

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 15:35:

Also what happened in Armero, Colombia on Novemeber 13, 1985

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

deathnova says on Apr 6, 2008, 15:39:

A landslide killed 142 people.

deathnova says on Apr 6, 2008, 15:40:

Nevado del Ruiz erupted.

jorgegdiaz says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:34:

I think a barrio called Villarosa went down the hill due to heavy rainfall

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:35:

Many people could have been saved, but the news reporters and looters let them die. This video shows a little girl and her last words before she died.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

deathnova says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:35:

That's what I just said =p

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:37:

This foto goes with the video of the same girl talking before she died.

Many people worldwide were pissed they never rescued this little girl.


Omayra Sánchez was one of the 25,000 victims of the Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) volcano which erupted on November 14, 1985. The 13-year old had been trapped in water and concrete for 3 days. The picture was taken shortly before she died and it caused controversy due to the photographer’s work and the Colombian government’s inaction in the midst of the tragedy, when it was published worldwide after the young girl’s death.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:50:

deathnova y JorgeDiaz : I was looking for the answer, many people died for no excuse.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

nueva york bombero says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:52:

Que Pena! Fucking sad!!!

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 17:55:

Many waited 3 days or more suffering and dying a terrible slow death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfojLdmX3jc&feature=related

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

tejasmarcos says on Apr 6, 2008, 18:08:

why could they not get the little girl out of the water?

god is in your head

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 18:14:

They could have got her out of the water , but she and many others were left to die , while the news reporters scrambled around ,and other people looted.

In Medellin in 1987 many people were left trapped under houses , while people robbed theor houses.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

Simon says on Apr 6, 2008, 18:31:

Whoever let Omayra just stay there and die should be fokin' shot!!

"You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."---Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

nueva york bombero says on Apr 6, 2008, 18:44:

I agree!

PALEOLITICO says on Apr 6, 2008, 18:52:

Si mal no recuerdo, a la niña Omaira no la podian sacar del agua porque tenia atrapada la mitad de su cuerpo bajo una cantidad muy pesada de material, que no podia ser removido sin que ella muriera inmediatamente. Pero también recuerdo que lo intentaron de varias maneras.

Estoy segura que si en las manos de algún reportero hubiera estado salvar la vida de esta niña, lo hubiera hecho sin pensar. Pero las cosas a veces no son lo que parecen...

"Amar a la gente y usar las cosas y NO amar a las cosas y usar la gente" www.paleolitico.net

DodgerDogs says on Apr 6, 2008, 19:04:

PALEOLITICO: Things are not always what they seem, the girl and many others were left to die, she was not trapped by anything that prohibited her resscue, according to many people who letter gave eye witness accounts , and they gave those accounts only after much international pressure. Anyone can make up lies and excuses, fact it many people were left to die , in both places both times.

No excuse only lies , as they wanted to hide their exposed shame.

Think did Colombia not have water pumps ( look at the water uo to her chin )
Did they not have manpower to remove the concret ?

They got a little girl out of a well in Texas named Jessica , a few years before this happened.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

PALEOLITICO says on Apr 7, 2008, 05:41:

Bueno, te estoy hablando de los recuerdos que tengo. Estuve frente al televisor presenciando esta horrible tragedia (aunque yo estaba muy joven cuando eso ocurrio) y ví muchisimas noticias sobre esto a lo largo de los años, y jamás escuché que la gente hubiera muerto por negligencia de la Cruz Roja y de los demás cuerpos de rescate. De hecho lo que recuerdo era una gran movilización de personas tratando de hacer lo posiible por salvar a quienes aún estaban con vida.

La niña si estaba atrapada bajo una gran cantidas de concreto y recuerdo también que estaban buscando la ayuda necesaria para sacarla con vida pero fue tarde para ella.

Me gustaría saber tu de donde sacaste esa información referente a que a la gente la dejaron morir. Dónde estabas tu cuando ocurrió la tragedia o qué medio de comunicación te lo dijo? Me gustaría saber. Si puedes responderme en Español te lo agradecería.

"Amar a la gente y usar las cosas y NO amar a las cosas y usar la gente" www.paleolitico.net

jorgegdiaz says on Apr 7, 2008, 05:50:

Omayra y Villa Rosa are two different things.
Omayra was in Nov ´86 when the volcano eruption. Villarosa was a year later in Medellin due to rain fall. Don`t confuse them as they are completely isolated events.
The eruption wasn`t big. The problem was that b/c that volcano had been inactive for centuries it was covered by snow. When it exploded, which wasn`t big to be consider an emergency, all that snow melted, went to the Guayabal river, and the extra water took EVERYTHING away along the river bed.
Paleo, yo recuerdo lo mismo. Ella estaba atrapada de cintura para abajo y no la podian sacar

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

PALEOLITICO says on Apr 7, 2008, 06:13:

Dodger: Lo que leeras a continuación lo escribió un periodista venezolano que investigó sobre el tema. Creo que resume bien lo que ocurrio. No hubo negligencia por parte de los cuerpos de socorro pero si una increible deshumanización por parte de los periodistas (en especial los extranjeros) quienes prefirieron captar la noticia a contribuir en el rescate de las victimas...

"Omaira Sánchez era una niña de 13 años, de tez morena, cabello ondulado y rostro angelical, quien atrapada por los escombros que dejó la avalancha, se convirtió en el símbolo de la tragedia de Armero.

Su drama fue descubierto por el socorrista de la Cruz Roja Jairo Enrique Guativonza, en la tarde del jueves 14 de noviembre, casi 20 horas después de que Armero fuera sepultada.

Cuentan quienes vivieron el drama que Omaira quedó atrapada al caer en una alcantarilla cuando trataba de huir con su abuela desde el barrio Santander, donde residía, hacia la parte alta de la localidad, mientras detrás avanzaba la avalancha.

El socorrista, luego de varias horas de trabajo, logró romper una plancha de cemento que la tenía atrapada. Pero el destino de la niña estaba marcado hacia la muerte, pues cuando intentó sacarla, notó que sus piernas estaban atrapadas entre palos, pedazos de ladrillos y cadáveres humanos hundidos entre el lodo.

No fueron suficientes los esfuerzos de Guativonza y otros socorristas que con motobombas trataron de evitar que el agua, que le llegaba al cuello, subiera de nivel y la ahogara. Tampoco el trabajo de varias personas que la alimentaban e hidrataban, mientras los miembros de la Cruz Roja trataban de quitar los obstáculos que la tenían atrapada.

Ante la mirada impotente de periodistas, camarógrafos y fotógrafos que mostraron al mundo su imagen de ternura y que pese a su estado nunca entró en desespero, Omaira murió el sábado 16 de noviembre."

Así reseña Radio Caracol la tragedia de Omaira Sánchez. La verdad es que lo sucedido con Omaira fue un acto de total falta de humanidad. La televisión española pudo transmitir en vivo lo que sucedía con la niña, quien agonizó 60 horas atrapada. García Márquez apuntaba que para que los españoles vieran el drama hacían falta cámaras, microondas, un satélite, y miles de pequeñas piezas de ingeniería que transmitieran las imágenes desde Armero, un punto perdido en la geografía colombiana, hasta los telereceptores al otro lado del Atlántico.

¿No hubo voluntad? Seguro que los socorristas que la acompañaron durante tanto tiempo sí tuvieron toda la voluntad. Pero el Nevado del Ruiz había avisado durante meses lo que iba a ocurrir, y el gobierno colombiano de entonces no hizo nada. A quiens advertían de la tragedia que se avecinaba, se les llamó alarmistas.

Omaira podía salir de su percance con la ayuda de una gran motobomba que sacara el agua del lugar en que se encontraba. Pero los miles de helicópteros, rústicos y demás vehículos sólo transportaban cámaras de TV. La tragedia era en vivo y directo, y las noticias no pueden esperar.

Es en esos casos cuando me asqueo de mi carrera, del periodismo; porque no debemos estar por encima de la vida y la muerte; antes, somos humanos".

Pero creo que esto es un poco diferente a decir "ellos fueron dejados abandonados para morir", pues es claro que los organismos de rescaste y otra gente intentaron salvarla.

Estoy completamente de acuerdo con este periodista: "Es en esos casos cuando me asqueo de mi carrera, del periodismo; porque no debemos estar por encima de la vida y la muerte; antes, somos humanos". Muchas veces he pensado lo mismo yo también.

"Amar a la gente y usar las cosas y NO amar a las cosas y usar la gente" www.paleolitico.net

tejasmarcos says on Apr 7, 2008, 06:45:

thanks for the clarification, paleo.

god is in your head

MaFe says on Apr 7, 2008, 06:58:

I really don't care that news come first...she was a child, they were all humans...
How was anyone just able stand there? That was beyond ridiculous...

"No comment" is a splendid expression. I am using it again and again." -Winston Churchill

bamacellist says on Apr 7, 2008, 06:59:

A little background on the eruption for those interested:

http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Nevado.html

"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."

bamacellist says on Apr 7, 2008, 07:34:

Searching Medellin mudslide turns up very very few results. Dodger, can I ask if you have a broader point to make in posing your question? Is it properly addressed in the discussion of the tragedy of Armero? Can the suggested indifference of the authorities to the plight of the poor in Medellin in the aftermath of the slide (guessing that might be your point) be equated with the inability of humans to produce divine miracles in Armero, given the scope of that disaster?

"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."

tejasmarcos says on Apr 7, 2008, 07:50:

as i understand paleo's reply, the little girl was trapped. judging from the hemorrhaged blood vessels in her eyes, it makes sense. this can happen when there are circulatory issues or clotting - each of which can occur is there is a limb or appendage crushed and/or trapped.

one of the saddest things i have ever seen......

god is in your head

DodgerDogs says on Apr 7, 2008, 08:00:

The reports about the Medellin are listed on the net, and they say that looters soon after it happened,
ignoredpeople trapped under their houses and epris, while they robbed their things.

As for the girl and others in the Volcano, it was n the news, and also Lacaq( in the post about photos from Colombias past listed it about 1:30 am Colombia time ) mentions a little about how he remebered the goverment did not do enough to help the girl and the town .

I was not at any of these events, but feel it was wrong to let the girl die and others, also they could have at least pumped away the water from the girl, as she was up to her chin in the water.
Also it was sad that people in the Medellin disaster , how people looted instead of helped save people.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

tejasmarcos says on Apr 7, 2008, 08:05:

DD - agreed. very screwed up to say the least.

* she was a brave child it seemed and understood her fate addressing those around her with massive amounts of bravery and maturity.

the world is a screwed up place to say the least. poverty makes even the nicest people do the most horrendous things...

** say what you will about the usa, but i have seen countless news stories about entire rescue teams coming to the aid of a cat, dog or other animal, and spending big bucks in the process.

god is in your head

DodgerDogs says on Apr 7, 2008, 10:22:

Tejas: Those girls eyes in her photo, have haunted me in my dreams. As it broke my heart to see her
that way , then when she says in the news video to salute her family, it tears a person up inside to imagine how a young life like hers was lost. May God always give her comfort in heaven, and let us
know ,that know no matter how bad we think we have it ,we can think back to what that sweet little child went through.....

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

tejasmarcos says on Apr 7, 2008, 10:24:

well put, dd.

god is in your head