Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro confirmed that four children who went missing in the Amazon jungle in the south of the country after a plane crash on May 1 have been rescued alive.
Petro said that “the four children who were lost in the Colombian jungle 40 days ago have been found alive,” after being found on Friday by soldiers participating in the search.
“A delight for the whole country!” wrote the head of state on the social network Twitter.
A delight for the whole country! They appeared with the lives of the 4 children who got lost in the Colombian jungle 40 days ago. pic.twitter.com/cvADdLbCpm
– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 9, 2023
Petro later told journalists that the children aged 13, 9, 4 and an 11-month-old baby were alone when they were found by search teams, taken away by helicopter and are currently receiving medical care.
The Colombian president said the young people of the Uitoto indigenous community are an “example of survival” and predicted their story “will go down in history”.
On May 17, the Colombian president even announced that the children had been rescued, but the information was incorrect. This time there are photos that show that it really happened.
#General Giraldo: “The union of efforts made possible this joy for Colombia”
Glory to the soldiers of the @FuerzasMilColto the indigenous communities and institutions that were part of it #OperacionEsperanza” pic.twitter.com/LO3BPldLgD
– Fuerzas Militares de Colombia (@FuerzasMilCol) June 10, 2023
Petro addressed the press after returning from Cuba, where he signed a ceasefire agreement with representatives of the National Liberation Army rebel group.
The minors were traveling with their mother and another companion in a small plane, a Cessna 206, which disappeared from radars on May 1 near San José del Guaviare, in the south of the country, where it was headed.
The aircraft was found on May 8 vertically, with the frontal area against the ground, among dense vegetation.
Rescue teams recovered three bodies: that of the pilot, that of the children’s mother and that of a leader of the Uitoto indigenous community.
The hope that the children could be found alive was fueled by the discovery in the jungle of personal belongings, partially eaten fruit and a baby bottle.
The discovery of a “makeshift shelter made of sticks and branches” led rescuers to hope there might be survivors.
The jungle is very dense and dangerous in this very remote area and the search is made difficult by the presence of wild animals, trees up to 40 meters high and heavy rainfall.
More than 100 soldiers with sniffer dogs were involved in the searches, with the help of members of the indigenous community.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
According to civil protection authorities, the pilot had reported problems with the plane’s engine before it disappeared from radars.
Source: DN
