Decades after volcano disaster, Colombia’s missing children remembered in symbolic act

Record ID: 2272951

  • Title: Decades after volcano disaster, Colombia’s missing children remembered in symbolic act
  • Date: 12th November 2025
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 17, 2025) (REUTERS) GONZALEZ DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FOUNDER OF ARMANDO ARMERO FOUNDATION, WHO LOST HIS FATHER AND BROTHER IN THE CATASTROPHE, FRANCISCO GONZALEZ, SAYING: "We still haven’t found them. We need more relatives to give DNA samples and more adoptees to come forward so we can cross-reference and have more reunions. For
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Anniversary Colombia Disaster Lost children Nevado del Ruiz
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, COLOMBIA
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, COLOMBIA
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,South America / Central America,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami
  • Reuters ID: LVA007160712112025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Forty years after Colombia’s Armero tragedy, survivors and families of the missing launched small boats bearing photos of lost children into the Gualí River on Wednesday (November 12), a symbolic act to honor the victims and demand justice. According to the Armando Armero Foundation and parents still searching for their children, many illegally adopted in Europe, North America, or Colombia.
    The 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano triggered a massive mudslide that buried the town of Armero, killing an estimated 25,000 people—nearly 70% of its population—and leaving hundreds of children missing. María Gladys Primo, a survivor who lost her two children in the disaster, said she still believes they are alive and hopes for a reunion.
    Francisco González, founder of the Armando Armero Foundation, said DNA testing has confirmed that some children were irregularly adopted abroad, but only four families have been reunited to date. He urged more relatives and adoptees to come forward for DNA testing, particularly in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.
    The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) has pledged to open a dialogue with families and reconstruct historical memory, addressing decades of silence and irregular adoptions, Deputy Director Adriana Velásquez said.
    The Armero tragedy remains one of Latin America’s deadliest natural disasters, with survivors continuing to seek answers and closure for the missing children.
    (Production: Javier Andres Rojas, Camilo Cohecha, Hugo Monnet)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register