In a stunning case of survival, four children, including a one-year-old baby, have been found alive 40 days after their aircraft crashed in Colombia’s Amazon forest, the country’s President Gustavo Petro has confirmed.
The children, aged 13, nine, four and one, were traveling with their mother, a pilot and a co-pilot in a private aircraft when it crashed in dense forest on May 1, killing all three adults on board.
The Cessna 206 airplane was flying from Araracuara to San José del Guaviare when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure.
When rescuers reached the site of the crash, they found the bodies of the adults along with evidence that the four children had escaped into the forest.
This led to a massive search by the Colombian army in the Amazon forest, as they found clues that the children were alive, including the baby’s milk bottle, footprints and a shelter the children crafted. The children belonged to the indigenous Huitoto tribe, giving hope to their grandfather that their knowledge of the jungle will help them survive.
President Pedro has said that it is a “magical day”, while sharing photos of the children with rescuers. “These children are today the children of peace and the children of Colombia,” he said.
The children are receiving medical care while they await being reunited with their grandfather.
