Four Indigenous children have been found alive after spending 40 days alone in the Amazon rainforest following a plane crash that killed their mother, the pilot, and another adult. The children, aged 13, nine, four, and one, were rescued on Friday in southern Colombia, prompting celebrations across the country.
The Cessna light aircraft crashed on 1 May, and the wreckage was found two weeks later with the bodies of the three adults. However, there was no sign of the children, who come from the Huitoto community. A massive search operation, involving 150 soldiers and 200 Indigenous volunteers, was launched, covering more than 323 square kilometres.
Rescuers found clues such as fruit with bite marks, a pair of scissors, and nappies, which kept hope alive. Helicopters broadcast messages from the children's grandmother, urging them to stay put, and dropped food packets. The children's father joined the search in mid-May.
When found, the children were malnourished and covered in insect bites but not in serious condition. They were wrapped in thermal blankets and winched up to helicopters due to dense vegetation. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called their survival 'a joy for the whole country' and a 'total survival' feat that will go down in history.
Their survival is attributed to ancestral knowledge taught by their grandmother, a respected elder. The children evaded jaguars, venomous snakes, heavy storms, and armed groups. Rescuers walked over 2,600 kilometres in challenging conditions, with trees up to 50 metres high blocking sunlight.
