Colombian officials confirm discovery of four missing children alive and well over two weeks after plane crash in the jungle.
Four children missing since their plane crashed in the
Colombian jungle have been found alive and well more than two weeks later.
Tragically, their mother and the other adults on board were killed in the
crash. The government's child welfare agency, ICBF, received information about
the children's discovery and confirmed their good health. Indigenous people
deep in the rain-forest reportedly found the children, although soldiers
involved in the search have yet to see them.
The plane crash occurred during a flight from Araracuara to
San José del Guaviare, and the pilot had reported engine problems. After an
extensive search effort, the plane wreckage was located, and the bodies of the
pilot, co-pilot, and the children's mother were found. Clues at a different
location, such as a child's drinking bottle, scissors, a hair tie, half-eaten
fruit, and an improvised shelter, indicated the children's survival.
The military deployed helicopters to urge the children to
stay put, while heavy rains hampered the search. The Institute for Child
Welfare reported that locals had found the children, although the armed forces
could not confirm this due to difficult conditions. Reports from a local plane
operator also suggested the children's discovery and their transport by boat to
a nearby community.
The children's father expressed hope, citing his sister's
past experience of surviving in the forest for a month. The Huitoto people's
knowledge of the jungle likely contributed to the children's survival chances.
