Archive · 13 Nov 2025
Colombia volcano eruption anniversary: Families still searching for lost children
Imagine a big volcano in Colombia named Nevado del Ruiz erupted a long, long time ago.
It caused a giant mudslide that buried a town called Armero.
Lots of people lost their homes and many people, including children, went missing.
Some children were found and rescued, but in the confusion, some might have been adopted by families who weren't their own, sometimes by people in other countries.
Now, many years later, parents like Maria Gladys Primo are still looking for their children, who they believe might still be alive.
They are using special tests called DNA to try and find them.
It's like a big puzzle, and they want to put all the pieces back together to find the lost children.
Nearly 40 years after the Nevado del Ruiz volcano eruption destroyed Armero, Colombia, families are still searching for children who went missing.
The 1985 disaster killed approximately 25,000 people and left 583 children reported missing.
Families suspect some rescued children may have been irregularly adopted, with some adoptees possibly living abroad.
The Creating Armero Foundation is working to reunite families by collecting DNA samples from parents and adoptees.
Colombian authorities are digitizing records to aid in tracing the missing children, though progress has been slow.
- Who
- Maria Gladys Primo and other families of children lost during the Nevado del Ruiz volcanic eruption and landslide.
- What
- Families are still searching for children who went missing during the 1985 Armero tragedy, with concerns about potential irregular adoptions. Efforts are underway to reunite families through DNA matching.
- When
- November 13, 1985, and ongoing efforts in the years since.
- Where
- Armero, Colombia, and internationally where adoptees may reside.
- Why
- The 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcanic eruption triggered a massive landslide that destroyed Armero, leading to the separation and disappearance of hundreds of children amid the chaos.
- Date of Eruption
- November 13, 1985
- Volcano Name
- Nevado del Ruiz
- Town Destroyed
- Armero, Colombia
- Estimated Deaths
- 25,000
- Reported Missing Children
- 583
- Rescued Children
- Around 150
- Reunions to Date
- 4