Babies and children rescued alive 17 days after a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon

Three indigenous children and a baby boy were found alive on Wednesday, 17, after spending 17 days in the central Colombian Amazon. They have been missing since May 1, when the plane they were in crashed due to mechanical failure. More than 100 soldiers participated in the rescue operation.

The announcement was made by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, on his Twitter account. He announced that “After arduous search efforts by our armed forces, we have found the four children missing after the plane crash in Guaviare alive. A joy for the country.”

According to local newspapers, the children are 13, 9 and 4 years old, in addition to the 11-month-old. Among the victims of the plane crash were the pilot, a mother of four brothers from the Huitoto ethnic group, and another person.

In searches, sniffer dogs assisted the army and traced the children’s tracks between the provinces of Caqueta, where the plane crashed, and Guaviare. Soldiers found “a makeshift shelter made of sticks and branches”, suspecting that there might be survivors.

Clothes, hair ties, a bottle and even cut up fruit were found during the searches, giving the teams hope.

With trees up to 40 meters tall, the teams had some difficulties with their searches, as helicopters needed to fly over the forest. One of the planes carried a recording of the children’s grandmother in the Huitoto language, telling her grandchildren not to go into the woods.

Source: EditoraTerra