Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced that four Indigenous children from Colombia had been found alive in the country’s south. The children were discovered more than five weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed into a dense jungle.
The military rescued the children near the border of the Caqueta and Guaviare provinces in Colombia, not far from the crash site. The plane, a Cessna 206, was transporting seven people from Araracuara in Amazonas province to San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, when it reported engine failure on May 1.
Three adults, including the pilot and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, perished in the crash, their bodies found within the wreckage. Remarkably, the four siblings, aged 13, 9, 4, and a 12-month-old baby, survived the impact.
The children’s grandfather, Narcizo Mucutuy, expressed joy at their rescue, stating, “As the grandfather to my grandchildren who disappeared in the jungles of the Yari, at this moment, I am very happy.”
Photos released by the Colombian military display a group of soldiers with four children rescued amidst the vast jungle.
President Petro expressed his joy on Twitter: “A joy for the whole country! The four lost children in the Colombian jungle appeared alive.”
He had previously reported that the children were found on May 17 but later removed the post, explaining that the information was unconfirmed.
Petro commented on their condition, “They were together; they are weak; let’s let the doctors assess them. They found them; it makes me very happy.” He added that the children had managed to survive independently in the jungle.
Before their discovery, rescuers, aided by search dogs, found signs of their survival, such as discarded fruit they ate and makeshift shelters constructed from jungle vegetation. Colombia’s army and air force mobilized airplanes and helicopters for the rescue operation.
