Bhopal gas tragedy: These photographers clicked the iconic Bhopal gas disaster girl

Thirty-seven years ago, just a day after a gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal killed thousands, photographer Pablo Bartholomew was at ground zero, documenting the aftermath. He was working with a French news agency at that time and he continued to photograph as the tragedy unfolded over the next year.

Among his photos, the one popularly known as the Bhopal gas disaster girl — featuring a toddler being buried by a family member a day after the incident — went on to win the 1984 World Press Photo of the Year. The photograph had become a symbol of the tragedy.

Another photographer, Raghu Rai, also took photos of the same child but in black and white. Speaking about his experience of clicking pictures at the Bhopal gas tragedy site hours after thousands died after a toxic gas leak, Rai had said, "There was a high possibility of journalists and photographers being physically affected by the chemical contamination. But then, there is always an element of risk in any assignment.”

Both Rai and Bartholomew came across a burying party and standing at different angles took a picture of an anonymous man burying a child. Wiping away the dirt to get one last look the two photographers captured the moment just before the grave was filled.