Colombian authorities have found alive four indigenous children who survived a light plane crash 40 days ago and were the subject of an intense search in the Amazon jungle that has kept Colombians on their toes
Jun 9, 2023 8:40pm ET
• 2 min reading
BOGOTA, Colombia – Four indigenous children who went missing 40 days ago after surviving a light plane crash in the Amazon jungle have been found alive, Colombian authorities announced on Friday, ending an intense search that has occupied the country.
The children were alone when searchers found them and are now receiving medical attention, President Gustavo Petro told reporters after returning from Cuba to Bogotá, where he signed a ceasefire agreement with representatives of the National Liberation Army rebel group.
The president said the youngsters are an “example of survival” and predicted their saga “will remain in history.”
The crash happened in the early morning hours of May 1 when the single-engine Cessna propeller plane with seven passengers and one pilot declared a state of emergency because of engine failure.
The light aircraft soon disappeared from radar and a frantic search for survivors began. The three adults were killed and their bodies found in the area.
Two weeks after the crash, on May 16, a search team found the plane in a dense patch of rainforest and recovered the bodies of the adults, but the young children were nowhere to be found.
Sensing that they might still be alive, the Colombian army stepped up the hunt for the children, flying 150 soldiers with dogs to the area to track down the group of four siblings, aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months. Dozens of volunteers from indigenous tribes also helped with the search.
On Friday, the military tweeted images showing a group of soldiers and volunteers posing with the children wrapped in thermal blankets. One of the soldiers held a bottle to the youngest boy’s lips.
“The combined forces made this possible,” wrote the Colombian military command on its Twitter account.