In Pics | Four children missing for 40 days after plane crash in Amazon jungle found alive
Children found after 40 days
More than 100 soldiers were deployed with sniffer dogs in the search operation to trace the minors, who were miraculously found after 40 days. The children, belonging to the Huitoto Indigenous group, are aged 13, nine, four and one year. Their plane Cessna 206 crashed in the forest after the pilot had reported engine failure minutes after taking off from the jungle area of Araracuara.
Soldiers and Indigenous people joined search
The massive search operation to find the missing children was being carried out by 160 soldiers and 70 Indigenous people. The plane was on a 350-kilometre (220-mile) journey to San Jose del Guaviare. According to an AFP report, the plane was found in a vertical position in the trees where the bodies of the pilot, and the children’s mother and a relative were discovered.
Rescuers found clues
The dense jungle is home to many predators like snakes and jaguars, and also armed drug smuggling groups. However, members of the rescue team found several clues like footprints, a diaper, and half-eaten fruits, which ensured that the children were safe, and gave them clues about their movement and location.
President Gustavo Petro's tweet
According to reports, President Gustavo Petro had earlier tweeted on 17th May that the children had been found, but he later deleted the post saying that the information was not confirmed. However, on Friday, the president posted a picture of military personnel and some other people tending to the children and said it was a “joy for the whole country”.
Children found by a native
According to an AFP report, Fidencio Valencia, the grandfather of the missing kids, had said Huitoto children learn hunting, fishing and food gathering, and are well acquainted with the jungle. The children had been found by a native of Araracuara who was involved in the search.
Children's father
This picture released by the Colombian Army shows the father of the children, Manuel Ranoque (R), shaking hands with army personnel involved in the search before the children were found in the Colombian Amazon forest in the municipality of Solano.
Taken to Bogota military base
The picture shows one of the four children, who survived the plane crash and were found after 40 days in the Amazon forest of Colombia, being stretchered out of a plane. The children were taken to the CATAM military base in Bogota on Sunday, June 10, 2023.
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