Girl Trapped in Waterfor 55 Hours Dies DespiteRescue AttemptsBY JULIA PRESTON

In November 1985, a sudden volcanic eruption buried thetown of Armero, Colombia, killing thousands of people.Isabel Allende drew on news reports of this disaster forher story, "And of Clay Are We Created." As you read thefollowing news account, compare its facts with the detailsAllende uses in her story.

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Armero, Colombia-Omaira Sanchez, a 13-year-old girltrapped up to her neck for more than 55 hours in flood-water, died yesterday morning despite rescuers' franticefforts to free her.

Omaira's legs were pinned in the ruins of what was onceher home by a cement slab and by the body of an auntwho drowned in the avalanche of mud that rolled overArmero Wednesday night.

Trapped in the chillywater the little girl shivered violentlyand her hands turned a deathly white. Finally her bloodpressure dropped so low she suffered a heart attack,according to Alejandro Jimenez, 23, a medical studentvolunteer at the disaster site who attended the child.

"You can imagine how I feel," said Jimenez, lookingdrawn and exhausted yesterday morning. "We stayed upall night trying to save her:'

About a dozen rescuers from the Colombian Air Force,the Red Cross, and fire departments of towns near Armeroradioed increasingly desperate pleas since Thursday for anelectric pump to keep the fetid waters from rising abovethe girl's chin ..They called for picks, shovels, and winchesto clear away rubble trapping her.

Reading for In-i Newspaper reporters g-t about real events, whT:'E-~ writers create their 0\\- _

~ However, sometimes ,~..l

;' draw inspiration from c:::accounts, as in the case ::"and her story.

COMPARING FACTUA~ t..VERSIONSComparing factual and :;:accounts of the same roS"can provide readers vvi!::'insight. First, a fictional '"event often enhances tr=the event by revealing t;",;cdetails and emotional irr:factual version might nc;the other hand, a factu-'focuses on details that ~fuller understanding of ~an event.

~.,.~'>_ YOUR TURN Use the fo:,~i activities to help you ex;::;'~ news account differs fra~ z\: based on the same everc,

",,' A news account USll~'"details that answer ~who, what, when \~.c..::-

why. Which of these -are answered in the -paragraph? What qvesyou expect will be t:r7cthe paragraphs to fo

@- Comparing Texts Re3the Allende story, ttrapped by "the bobrothers and sisterslegs:' What is she tra::-article? Why do you cmight have made this ::-..

etforts to save Omaira Sanchez, the Colombian teenaged girl who inspired this story.

At 2 P.M. yesterday, four hours after Omaira died, aColombian radio station announced that 18 pumps had justerrived in a town 45 miles from Armero. To the end, rescue.•••orkers dug with their bare hands at the cement slab.eaning on Ornaira'sumb legs, and

Jailed the waterith a tin can.Someone stretched

'" dirty blue-and-whitecheckered tableclothver the scene of the

tragedy, a scene that,displayed in news-oapers around theworld yesterday,carne to representthe horror of thedisaster.

Aftermath of disaster caused by Nevada del Ruizeruption.

The news account quotes a res-cue worker named AlejandroJimenez, who fills a role similarto that of Rolf Carie in the story.Why do you think Allende givesthis character so much moreemphasis than Jimenez receivesin the original news account?In what way are the details in thelast paragraph of the news reportsimilar to details you might findin a fictional account?

Inquiry & ResearchActivity Link: "And of Clay Are WeCreated," p, 996Compare and contrast factsabout the real event with thoseportrayed in the story. You maywish to present your findings inchart form.

REAL WORLD LINK 999