Tragedy of Omayra Sanchez (Frank Fourier)
Back in the year 1985, the eruption of the Nevado del
Ruiz volcano in Colombia led to a massive mudslide. It ravaged nearby
towns and massacred nearly 25,000 lives.
Trapped in the mud and rubble was Omayra Sanchez. After 3
days of struggle, she succumbed to hypothermia and gangrene. The picture was
taken moments before her death, and stands as a testimony of Columbian
officials’ failure to act quickly when the country faced its worst ever natural
disaster.
Image credit: Toptenz
Operation Lion Heart (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Deanne Fitzmaurice won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for the photo essay titled “Operation Lion Heart.”
The picture stands for the atrocities
Iraqis had to face during one of the most violent conflicts of modern history –
the Iraq War.
This 9-year-old Iraqi
boy got severely injured in an explosion. He was flown to Oakland, CA where he
underwent several critical surgeries. His determination to not lose hope of
life got him the nickname: Saleh Khalaf, i.e., “Lion Heart”.
Image credit: Toptenz
Bhopal Gas Tragedy (Pablo Bartholomew)
Pablo Bartholomew captured India’s worst industrial
disaster, one that killed over 15,000 and injured around 558,125.
The catastrophe was triggered by the leak of the deadly methyl
isocyanate gas from Union Carbide India Limited’s (UCIL) pesticide plant in
Bhopal. This picture of a man burying his dead baby tells the story of what
happened after that.
Image credit: Harvard
After the Tsunami (Arko Datta)
One of the most striking pictures from the Indian Tsunami
was taken by Reuters photojournalist Arko Datta. The Tsunami was one of the deadliest
natural disasters we have had ever seen. The picture shows grief-stricken
parents clutching their dead baby.
Image credit: CPJ
After the Storm (Patrick Farrell)
The Miami Herald photographer documented the Haitian tragedy
with captivating black-and-white stills. The picture shows a boy trying to save
a stroller after the tropical storm that destroyed Haiti.
Image credit: Indulgy
Kosovo Refugees (Carol Guzy)
Image credit: Reberahclare
Dhiya Thamer (Hadei addition)
In this picture by an AP journalist, this Iraqi mother morns
the death of her six-year-old son Dhiya Thamer after their car was attacked by
masked gunmen in Baquba, capital of Iraq's Diyala province. The family was
returning after enrolling Dhiya in school for the first time.
Image credit: Taringa
Mass graves in Thailand (David Longstreath)
In January 2005 several dead bodies of adults and children were
found in mass graves near Wat Bang Muang, Thailand. Over 5,000 people were
reportedly dead. This was after the tsunami struck a popular resort in southern
Thailand on December, 2004.
Image credit: Taringa
Combat Support Hospital, Baghdad (John Moore)
The picture shows a 9-year-old Iraqi girl suffering from a
fractured skull and two broken bones recovering in 31 Combat Support Hospital
in Baghdad. The hospital is considered the busiest American combat trauma
hospital in the world.
This happened after a US Army vehicle crashed into their car.
Image credit: Taringa
