Four indigenous children who were lost in the Colombian Amazon jungle for 40 days were miraculously found alive on Friday, after their plane crashed on May 1. The announcement was made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, sparking national joy.
Petro shared the incredible news on Twitter, celebrating the children’s survival and expressing relief that they were discovered after a long and difficult search. The children, ages 13, 9, 4, and 1, were found extremely weak, barefoot, and in need of immediate medical attention. “Let the doctors evaluate them,” Petro said as he addressed reporters in Bogotá.
The children were on a flight that crashed due to a mechanical failure, resulting in the deaths of their mother, the pilot, and an indigenous community leader. The search operation, which involved over 100 soldiers and indigenous volunteers, was supported by sniffer dogs. These teams tracked the children’s movements across the dense jungle terrain between the Guaviare and Caquetá departments, the site of the crash.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed the children would be transported by helicopter to San José del Guaviare for medical care before being flown to Bogotá’s Military Hospital.
A “Magical Day” for Colombia
President Petro described the discovery as a “magical day” for the country. He commended the dedication of both the indigenous communities and military personnel who participated in the rescue effort. The children’s survival after being stranded in the jungle without any adult supervision is being hailed as a remarkable testament to human resilience.
The search was challenging due to thick jungle vegetation, towering trees, dangerous wildlife such as jaguars and snakes, and constant rainfall that made it difficult to hear calls for help. Two weeks before the children were found, their grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, had told the press that the eldest child, Lesly, was particularly skilled and capable of leading her siblings through the jungle.
Rescue Teams Cover Miles of Jungle
The rescue teams used loudspeakers to broadcast messages in the indigenous language, encouraging the children to stop and make their presence known. According to the Army, the search teams traveled 2,656 kilometers, a distance double that between Bogotá and Quito, Ecuador, to locate the children. The harsh terrain and unpredictable weather forced many soldiers and volunteers to be rotated throughout the operation.
President Petro attributed the children’s survival to their knowledge of the jungle, passed down through generations of indigenous families. This survival expertise was crucial in helping the children navigate the hostile environment. In this remote area, where roads are scarce and river travel is the norm, the indigenous people have learned to live harmoniously with the challenging Amazon ecosystem.
A Remarkable Survival Story
The military discovered evidence, including fingerprint-written messages, suggesting the children were still alive, leading to the belief that an indigenous community may have helped them. However, it was later confirmed that the children had survived entirely on their own.
The children had boarded the flight with their mother to escape from armed dissidents in the region, as explained by General Pedro Sánchez. Seventeen days after their disappearance, Petro had mistakenly announced the children’s rescue, only to retract the statement the following day.
The search team continues to look for Wilson, a sniffer dog that went missing during the search operations. As of now, Wilson’s whereabouts remain unknown.
This miraculous survival story has captured global attention, showcasing the strength and resilience of the indigenous children, the community, and the joint efforts of the military and local volunteers.
With information from AFP