Events That Occurred in Colombia 1972-1973
There were some events that I heard about or witnessed while living in Bogota, Colombia that I will never forget. These events made an everlasting impression on me. The events were the Avianca Building fire, the plane crash that hit the mountain face above where we lived, the tremors from an earthquake, and bandits coming down from the mountains.
The first event I remember was the 1972 earthquake that hit Managua, Nicaragua and the tremors were felt in Bogota. I remember I was sitting with my aunt and my mother playing cards and the table started to shake violently and my aunt told her Alsatian dog to quit scratching when we noticed the dog come running in from another room whining. Books started to slide of the mantle piece and then they suddenly stopped. We had a few more smaller tremors but that first one was scary. We found out later on the television that Managua the capital of Nicaragua was essentially destroyed by the earthquake of 1972.
The second event I remember was the Avianca Building Fire in July 23, 1973 in the center of Bogota. This building housed several government agencies and other businesses. I remember seeing on the television of people jumping to their deaths from many of the higher floors of the building. Even now I get chills thinking what those people had to decide whether to get burned alive or jump to their deaths. It was one of the tallest high rises ever built and it was only three years old since its completion was finished in 1969. It has been repaired and is still a beautiful building.
The third event that made the news of 1972 was a small commercial aircraft flew into the mountain above where we were living. We heard a huge boom in the early morning where there was a tremendous amount of fog. Everybody was killed in the crash but what I remember most was the black area on the side of the mountain that was visible for miles. I remember the church service was held outside in the park where I played for the victims of the plane crash.
The fourth event that I did not witness was the killing of bandits that had come down from the mountain regions to rob a major bank. Some of them were killed by security forces and lined up to public view so as to dissuade any more attacks. The only other time I had heard about bandits was when the story went around that an American came into one of the police stations pretty much banged up saying he was captured and robbed by bandits in the mountains. The police would not believe him since they were aware that the bandits killed whoever they captured. When my friends and I heard this we proceeded to walk the 10 or so blocks to see this but we were turned back by security forces who suggested that it was safe in our own neighborhoods.
These events would stay with me for the rest of my life. I have happier memories about Colombia but these four events would stick in my mind for always. It is probably due to the horror and fear of these events that stick in my mind so that I remember these memories today.
