Colombian officials say four youngsters who had gone missing after their plane crashed in the bush have been recovered alive and well more than two weeks later. The crash killed their mother and the other adults. Colombia's president, who broke the news, has since revoked his statement and stated that the hunt for the youngsters is still ongoing. "I sincerely regret what happened," he says.
The government's child protection agency, ICBF, said it had received "from the field" evidence that the youngsters were in good health. According to a pilot, the youngsters were discovered by indigenous people deep in the rainforest. Soldiers involved in the search, on the other hand, have yet to see the youngsters. The Cessna 206 light plane they were in was flying from Araracuara, deep in the Amazon jungle in southern Colombia, to San José del Guaviare when it vanished on May 1st.
Its pilot had previously reported engine issues. The jet was finally found on Monday, two weeks after it had vanished, after a massive search effort involving more than 100 soldiers. The bodies of the pilot, co-pilot, and the mother of the four children, Magdalena Mucutuy, 33, were discovered at the crash scene in Caquetá province. The children, ages 13, nine, and four years, as well as an 11-month-old newborn, were not located. However, search crews have discovered evidence that the children, who are from the Huitoto indigenous group, survived the crash.
A child's drinking bottle, a pair of scissors, a hair tie, and some half-eaten fruit were discovered by sniffer dogs. The researchers also discovered an improvised shelter composed of sticks and branches. "We believe the children on board the plane are still alive." "We found traces in a different location, away from the crash site, and possibly a place where they hid," Colonel Juan José López said on Wednesday. Fearing that the youngsters would venture further into the woods, the military dispatched helicopters that played a recorded message from their grandma in Huitoto, imploring them to stay put. Heavy rains impeded the search, but Colombia's Institute for Child Welfare told Colombia's president on Wednesday that it had received reports "from the field" that the youngsters had been found by locals. President Petro announced the news on Twitter, claiming they had been found "after an arduous search." However, uncertainty emerged when Colombia's military forces stated that they had not yet been able to reach the children "due to the difficult meteorological conditions and the difficult terrain" - and hence could not confirm their rescue.