Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced yesterday, Friday, that four indigenous children were found alive in southern Colombia after more than five weeks since the plane crash they were on in a dense forest. The army rescued the children near the border between the Caquetá and Guaviare regions, close to the site of the small plane crash.
Petro tweeted, "A joy for the entire country! The four children who were lost... in the Colombian jungle are apparently alive." He shared a message with images showing a group of soldiers with the four children amidst the jungle.
Initially, Petro mentioned on May 17 that the children had been found in a tweet, but later deleted it, stating that the information was unconfirmed. He told reporters yesterday, "They were together and in a weakened state, so let’s allow the doctors to examine them. They were found, and this makes me very happy," adding that the children had been fending for themselves in the jungle.
Rescue personnel, supported by search dogs, previously discovered remnants of fruit that the children had eaten to survive, as well as makeshift shelters made from jungle plants.
Three adults, including the pilot, died in the plane crash, and their bodies were found inside the aircraft. The four children, ages 13, nine, four, and an 11-month-old baby, survived. The plane, a Cessna 206, was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara in the Amazonas region and San José del Guaviare, a town in the Guaviare region, when it sent a distress signal due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1.
