1 of 4 plane crash occurred earlier this month — Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia plane crash occurred earlier this month — Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia
Four children, including an 11monthold baby, lost alone in the Colombian Amazon rainforest for 16 days were found alive this Wednesday (17). The brothers were on a plane that crashed on May 1, killing the children’s mother and two other adults.
“After painstaking search efforts by our armed forces, we have found the four children missing in the plane crash alive,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Twitter. “A joy for the country.”
Besides the baby, the children are 13, 9 and 4 years old and live in an indigenous community. Her health status was not disclosed.
seeks
The hostile conditions on site made the searches known as “Operation Hope” difficult. From the closest point, it took rescuers a ninehour river cruise to reach the accident region, and then found “trees 30 to 40 meters tall” and muddy areas where there were “huge roots”.
The Luftwaffe even flew over the dense forest area, playing a message recorded by the minor’s grandmother over a loudspeaker. In the Huitoto language, the woman informed her grandchildren that they were wanted and asked them not to go into the forest.
On Tuesday (16th), soldiers and indigenous people from communities near the crash site found belongings and a piece of fruit they had bitten into, giving them hope the children were still alive.
Accident
Earlier this month, the plane was taking off from a forested area called Araracuara bound for San José del Guaviare, one of the capitals in the Colombian Amazon, about 390 km overland from Bogotá, when it disappeared from radar.
According to civil defense, the pilot reported problems with the plane’s engine before the accident.
2 out of 4 children’s items found during searches Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia Children’s items found during searches Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia 3 out of 4 baby bottles found during searches Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia Baby bottles found during searches Photo : Fuerzas Militares de Colombia 4 of 4 Other objects found during searches — Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia Other objects found during searches — Photo: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia