Western Columbia is ripe with fear and uncertainty as to its nightmare, Nevado del Ruiz volcano, whose deadly eruption killed over 25,000 people of Armero and left the surrounding town barren 36 years ago, is active again.
It was dubbed as the most brutal volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
According to the Colombian Geological Service, the same volcano that wreaked havoc in the region was spewing ash and gas just this weekend
Emisión de ceniza observada hoy a las 6:21 a.m. por medio de las cámaras instaladas en el área del Volcán Nevado del Ruiz. El Nivel de Actividad continúa en: Nivel Amarillo de actividad o (III): cambios en el comportamiento de la actividad volcánica.#sgcvolcanes pic.twitter.com/6ErOoiiPbD
— Servicio Geológico (@sgcol) November 13, 2021
In a tweet, the service informed, “Ash emission observed today at 6:21 am through the cameras installed in the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano area. The Activity Level continues at Yellow Activity Level o (III): changes in the behaviour of the volcanic activity."
Why is Nevado del Ruiz a threat?
The Nevado del Ruiz, which is one of the many volcanoes found on the Ring of Fire; a ring of volcanoes and earthquakes that surrounds the Pacific basin, last erupted on November 13, 1985.
When the volcano activated after decades of dormancy, it emitted so much heat that it permanently melted the snow cover on the mountain around it burying Armero, a town of 50,000 in mud and killing more than half of its residents.
Apart from the materialistic destruction, the disaster left the survivors with a traumatizing memory of 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez, who was trapped in the debris of her destroyed house with water and mud up to her neck.
Another victim of the 1985 eruption, was trapped in mud for three days, eventually dying.
