President Gustavo Petro of Colombia announced on Wednesday that four Indigenous children, including an 11-month-old baby, have been found alive in the dense Colombian Amazon after a plane crash over two weeks ago. The president expressed “joy for the country” upon hearing the news. The military, which conducted the search efforts, has yet to confirm the rescue.
After the plane crashed on May 1, leaving three adults, including the pilot and the children’s mother, dead, over 100 soldiers and sniffer dogs were deployed to search for the missing minors. Rescuers believed that the children, ranging from 11 months to 13 years old, had been wandering through the jungle in the southern Caqueta department since the crash.
President Petro did not provide specific details regarding the location of the children’s rescue or how they managed to survive alone in the jungle. However, Avianline Charters, the owner of the crashed aircraft, reported that one of its pilots in the search area had been informed of the children’s rescue. The company stated that the children were being transported by boat downriver and that they were alive. Nevertheless, there has been no official confirmation of their safety, and thunderstorms in the region still pose a risk to their journey to safety.
The search efforts intensified when rescuers discovered a shelter built with sticks and branches, suggesting the presence of survivors. Photographs released by the military showed various items, including scissors, shoes, and hair ties, scattered on the jungle floor. Before finding the shelter, a baby’s drinking bottle and partially eaten pieces of fruit had been spotted.
The search operation, known as “Operation Hope,” faced challenges due to the region’s inaccessible nature, with tall trees and heavy rainfall hindering progress. Despite the difficulties, three helicopters were deployed, and one of them played a recorded message in the children’s native Huitoto language, urging them to halt their movement through the jungle.
The cause of the plane crash has not been determined yet. The pilot had reported engine problems minutes before the plane vanished from the radars. The area where the incident occurred has limited road access, making airplane transportation common.
The rescued children belong to the Indigenous Huitoto community, known for their ability to live in harmony with the remote jungle. They possess skills in hunting, fishing, and gathering, which may have contributed to their survival. Over the years, the Huitoto community has faced population decline due to exploitation, disease, and assimilation.
President Gustavo Petro, who announced the rescue, is Colombia’s first leftist president. Although he assumed power in August, he has faced challenges in implementing the fundamental reforms he promised during his campaign, including labor law, healthcare, pensions, and the judiciary.