Four children from an Indigenous community in Colombia were discovered alive in the country’s south more than two weeks after their plane crashed in dense jungle, President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday.
The children were found in Colombia’s Caqueta province. They were rescued by members of the military, firefighters, and the civil aviation authority.
The Cessna 206, which was carrying seven passengers, reported engine trouble on May 1. They were traveling from Araracuara, Amazonas, to San Jose del Guaviare, Guaviare.
Our military spent days searching for the four children who had been missing since the plane crash in Guaviare. Petro called the event “a joy for the country” in a tweet.
After the plane crashed, the bodies of three adults, including the pilot, were discovered inside. All four children survived the crash, including an 11-month-old baby and three older siblings (ages 13, 9, and 4).
According to preliminary information, the children escaped the plane and headed into the rainforest, according to the civil aviation authority, which coordinated the rescue efforts.
Rescuers using search dogs discovered the children’s food and shelter made of jungle vegetation.
Colombia’s army and air force both contributed planes and helicopters to the rescue effort.
