Parents search for children missing since a volcanic eruption in Colombia 40 years ago

In a solemn ceremony marking four decades of uncertainty, Martha Lucía López released a small boat into the river, joining hundreds of others in a ritual of remembrance and hope. Each boat bore the face of a child who vanished during Colombia’s deadliest natural disaster – the Armero volcanic eruption of November 13, 1985.

“The only option we have is for them, the people who adopted them, to tell the true story and for them to come to us,” said López, 67, whose son Sergio Melendro was just 5 years old when he disappeared in the chaos that followed the eruption.

When the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted that November night, it unleashed catastrophic mudflows that claimed approximately 25,000 lives and obliterated the town of Armero in central-western Colombia. Amid the devastation, hundreds of children were separated from their families, creating a legacy of loss that continues to haunt survivors to this day.

López recalls the night with painful clarity. She and her husband had stepped outside after hearing unusual sounds, leaving their sleeping son at home, believing they were at a safe distance from danger. The volcanic eruption melted the mountain’s snow-capped peak, creating an avalanche of mud and debris that surged down the mountainside. As the river overflowed, it overturned their car, forcing the couple to seek refuge in a tree and later a house.

When they finally returned home, their house was destroyed, and Sergio was gone.

In the years that followed, López learned through a television advertisement that her son had been reported to be at the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), the government agency responsible for child protection. Her sister attempted to locate him at the agency’s headquarters in Bogotá but was denied access without additional documentation proving family ties.

Years later, a friend reported encountering someone in New Orleans who claimed his brother had adopted a child from Armero. “He showed her a photo… Sergio’s eyes were unmistakable,” López said, referring to their distinctive blue color. The lead never materialized into a reunion.

The aftermath of the Armero tragedy created perfect conditions for children to become separated from their families. According to Ancizar Giraldo, who was 12 when the volcano erupted, some children were taken by the ICBF, others were sent to nearby villages, and many simply vanished without a trace. Giraldo himself spent nearly four years in a social center funded by international donations until his mother located him through photographs released by the ICBF.

The Armando Armero Foundation, a civil society organization dedicated to investigating the disappeared children, has documented 580 missing children from the disaster. Of these, 71 were reportedly adopted. Through DNA collection efforts, the foundation has successfully located four survivors.

“There is no single modus operandi. You can’t just say, ‘the children were stolen solely by the ICBF,’ there are many ways,” explained Francisco González, the foundation’s director. “Civilians even went to Armero right after the tragedy and saw children, took them home, and welcomed them with affection.” Many children were reportedly sent to various parts of Colombia and abroad.

The search for these missing children was particularly challenging in an era without modern communication technologies. Desperate families physically traveled to shelters and ICBF offices, often with limited success.

Adriana Velásquez, deputy director general of the ICBF, told the Associated Press that their records show they received at least 170 children from Armero following the disaster. The agency is currently investigating how many were subsequently placed for adoption, as these decisions were handled by the courts at that time.

For years, families placed their hopes on the ICBF’s “red book,” named for its crimson cover, which contains records of some Armero children. Although this document was finally declassified in October 2023, Velásquez noted it does not provide a comprehensive account of all missing children.

Despite the passage of four decades, families refuse to abandon their search. The annual ceremony of releasing boats with photos into the river symbolizes their enduring hope that their children might one day find their way back home.

“It’s been 40 years of hope,” said Benjamín Herrera, father of Óscar Fernando, who was just 14 months old when the disaster struck. “And we will wait as long as it takes.”

The Armero tragedy stands as a stark reminder of both nature’s destructive power and the human cost of institutional failures in disaster response. For the families still searching, the quest for answers continues even as the once-vibrant town of Armero remains uninhabited, a permanent memorial to those lost that fateful November night.