Editor’s Note
This article recounts the devastating 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia, one of the deadliest volcanic disasters of the 20th century. The tragedy underscores the enduring power of natural forces and the importance of hazard preparedness.
Looking back at the pages of history, several significant events occurred on November 13th.
In 1985, a volcanic eruption in eastern Colombia killed approximately 23,000 people, causing massive devastation in several areas. Everything was covered in ash. The worst damage occurred in Armero, the second-largest city in the Tolima province, located about 50 miles from Colombia’s capital, Bogotá.
This was the second major event of its kind after the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée on the Caribbean island of Martinique, which killed 29,000 people.
After the 1985 eruption, the volcano, Nevado del Ruiz, remained active for many years, with further eruptions occurring in 1991 and 1992.
This was not the first time a volcanic eruption in Colombia had caused so many deaths. Prior to this, after an eruption in 1595, mud spread around the mountain. Another eruption in 1845 killed about 1,000 people.
Nearly 50 years later, people began rebuilding the city of Armero on the same dried mud. After the 1985 disaster, the government declared the buried city sacred ground.
In an incident this year, an 18-year-old girl fell unconscious after taking an Ecstasy pill.
Leah Betts, from Latchingdon, Essex, collapsed four hours after taking the Ecstasy pill.
Three days later, Leah Betts died. She never regained consciousness after fainting.
As a result, her parents became anti-drug campaigners. An investigation later revealed that Leah’s death was not directly caused by the Ecstasy pill but by the water she drank to counteract its effects.
On this day in 1971, the American spacecraft Mariner 9 became the first to orbit another planet.
About a month later, scientists received clear images of Mars.
The planet had large volcanoes. One volcano was twice as high as any on Earth. There were wide channels, leading to the inference that water might exist on Mars.
The cameras on Mariner 9 sent 7,329 images back to Earth. Contact with Mariner 9 was lost on October 27, 1972.
Shortly after Mariner 9, the Soviet spacecraft Mars 2 returned to Mars, but malfunctioned after just 20 seconds.
In 1976, the Viking 1 spacecraft became the first to land on the surface of Mars.