Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that four indigenous children of the country were found alive in southern Colombia more than five weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed in the dense jungle.
The military rescued the children near the border between the Caqueta and Guaviare departments of Colombia, near where the small plane crashed.
“A joy for the whole country! The four children who went missing … in the Colombian jungle are apparently alive,” Pietro said in a message via Twitter.
The Cessna 206 was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara, Amazonas province, and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, when it issued an SOS due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1.
Three adults, including the pilot, died as a result of the plane crash and their bodies were found inside the plane. The four children, aged 13, nine and four, survived, as well as an 11-month-old baby.
Pictures published by the Colombian army showed a group of soldiers with four children in the middle of the forest.
Petro had initially stated that the children had been found on May 17 in a tweet, but later deleted it, saying the information was unconfirmed.
“They were together and in a weak state, let’s let the doctors examine them. They found them and that makes me very happy,” Pietro told reporters on Friday, adding that the children fended for themselves alone in the middle of the forest.
Rescuers, supported by search dogs, had earlier found remains of fruit the children ate to survive, as well as improvised shelters made from jungle plants.
Planes and helicopters from the Colombian army and air force took part in the rescue operations.
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2023-06-10 02:52:36
