Isabel Allende's short story "And of Clay Are We Created" is based on a real natural disaster that took place in 1985 when Columbia's Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, which destroyed thirteen villages and killed 23,000 people. Following the eruption, rescuers found a thirteen-year-old girl named Omayra Sánchez, whose legs were trapped underneath the bricks of her destroyed home. Unfortunately, rescuers were unable to free Omayra from the debris, and she died of exposure and possibly gangrene on the third day. In Allende's short story, a volcano erupts and destroys a small Latin American village, where a teenage girl named Azucena becomes trapped underneath debris from the natural disaster. A reporter named Rolf Carlé covering the disaster discovers Azucena and attempts to save her life by pulling her from the quagmire. Rolf Carlé's coverage of Azucena's tragic story is broadcast throughout the world as rescuers are unable to pull her from the debris. Unfortunately, Azucena loses her life after three days of being trapped in the debris, which leaves an indelible impression on Rolf Carlé.