BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - In a miraculous turn of events, four children have been found alive more than a month after their plane crashed in Colombia's Amazon jungle, according to President Gustavo Petro. The siblings, aged 13, 9, 4, and a one-year-old baby, were aboard the ill-fated flight along with their mother, a pilot, and a co-pilot when the accident occurred on May 1.
Tragically, the mother and the other adults on board the plane did not survive. However, after an arduous search effort spanning several weeks, Colombian military forces managed to locate and rescue the children near the border between Caqueta and Guaviare provinces, not far from the crash site.
President Petro expressed immense joy and called it a "magical day" for the entire country. He praised the children for their extraordinary survival skills, stating, "They were alone, they themselves achieved an example of total survival which will remain in history. These children are today the children of peace and the children of Colombia."
The president shared a photo of the military personnel and Indigenous community members tending to the rescued children, symbolizing hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The children, who belong to the Huitoto indigenous group, are now receiving medical attention after their arduous ordeal.
The Cessna 206 aircraft the children and their mother had been traveling in was en route from Araracuara in Amazonas province to San Jose del Guaviare when it experienced engine failure and issued a distress signal. The bodies of the three adults who perished in the crash were discovered at the wreckage site.
During the extensive search operation, rescuers found items left behind by the children, including a child's drinking bottle, scissors, a hair tie, and a makeshift shelter. They also came across small footprints, leading them to believe that the children had managed to escape the crash and survive in the challenging rainforest environment.
Indigenous community members and search teams worked tirelessly, utilizing helicopters to broadcast messages in the Huitoto language, urging the children to stay in one place for easier location. The knowledge and survival skills of the children, coupled with the collective efforts of the search teams, ultimately led to their remarkable rescue.
The children have been flown to Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, where waiting ambulances transported them to a nearby hospital for further medical evaluation and treatment.
The nation of Colombia is celebrating this incredible story of survival, which has sparked a sense of hope and unity among its people. The children's ability to endure in the face of adversity has captured the hearts of the nation, serving as a reminder of the strength of the human spirit.
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