BOGOTA
Four children were found alive on Friday in Colombia thick jungle who were lost five weeks earlier when the plane, in which they were travelling was crashed, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Border military rescued the sibilings fron jungle near the border between Caqueta and Guaviare province.
The plane (A Cessna 206) issued mayday alert due to engine failure in wee hours of May 01.
Plane was carrying seven people from Araracuara to San Jos del Guaviare.
Three adults including children’s mother Magdalena and pilot were died whose bodies were found inside plane and four childerns of age 13,09, 04 and 12 month baby survived the impact. Grandfather Narcizo Mucutuy of three girls and boy expressed delight on the news of rescues.
He said “As the grandfather to my grandchildren who disappeared in the jungles of the Yari, at this moment I am very happy.”
Group photo of military group and four minors were shared by Colombia military from middle of jungle.
“A joy for the whole country! The four children who were lost … in the Colombian jungle appeared alive,” Petro said in a message via Twitter.
Petro initially reported that children had been found on May 17 in a message on Twitter but later deleted the post, saying the information was unconfirmed.
“They were together, they are weak, let’s let the doctors assess them. They found them, it makes me very happy,” Petro told journalists on Friday, adding the children had defended themselves alone in the middle of the jungle.
Rescuers, supported by search dogs, had previously found discarded fruit the children ate to survive, as well as improvised shelters made with jungle vegetation.
Airplanes and helicopters from Colombia’s army and air force participated in the rescue operations.
