In the southern regions of Colombia, four children belonging to an indigenous community have been discovered alive, having endured more than five weeks in the wilderness.
The incident occurred when a plane, originally en route from Araracuara in Amazonas province to San Jose del Guaviare in Guaviare province, crashed deep in the jungle on May 1st after experiencing engine failure and issuing a distress signal. Tragically, three adults, including the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, and the pilot, were found deceased within the wreckage.
Against all odds, the children, aged 13, 9, 4, and a mere 12 months old, managed to survive the crash and were finally located on Friday by Colombian military personnel near the border of Caqueta and Guaviare provinces, close to the crash site.
Prior to their rescue, search and rescue teams had discovered remnants of consumed fruits and improvised shelters fashioned from jungle foliage. Local civilians, particularly members of the indigenous community, had tirelessly joined the rescuers in their quest to find the missing children.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his joy during a press conference on Friday, stating, “They were found together; they are weak. Let the doctors evaluate them. I am immensely pleased with their discovery.” Manuel Ranoque, the father of the 1-year-old and 5-year-old siblings, visited them at Bogota’s military hospital and spoke to the press, saying, “They will share their stories, and you will hear them. It’s challenging to question them because the children went 40 days without sufficient food, so I have been unable to obtain information from the eldest child.”