Colombia: images of the rescue of children found alive after 40 days in the jungle

2023-06-10T10:13:29.834Z

Highlights: Aged 13, 9, 4 and 1 year, they were found 5 km from the crash of the site of their plane. The children have wandered alone in the jungle since the May 1 crash. The chances of survival were low in an environment where jaguars, pumas, snakes and other predators roam. "It is an example of total survival that will go down in history," said President Gustavo Petro, praising "the effective coordination between the military and the indigenous people"

Aged 13, 9, 4 and 1 year, they were found 5 km from the crash of the site of their plane.

It is the culmination of forty days of anguish. Four children were finally found alive in the Amazon jungle of Colombia after almost a month and a half in hostile conditions.

The children "were alone, they succeeded on their own. It is an example of total survival that will go down in history. These children are therefore today the children of peace and the children of Colombia," said President Gustavo Petro, praising "the effective coordination between the military and the indigenous people" during the search. Lesly (13), Soleiny (9), Tien Noriel (4) and Cristin (1) were extracted from the jungle, winched and transported by helicopter to the city of San Jose del Guaviare and then transported this Saturday by medical plane to Bogota, the capital. Upon arrival, they were evacuated on stretchers and loaded into several ambulances.

Jaguars, pumas, snakes and access to clean water

Originally from the Uitoto indigenous group, the children have wandered alone in the jungle since the May 1 crash of the small Cessna 206 plane on which they were travelling with their mother, the pilot and a relative. The three adults died and their bodies were found by the military at the crash site. According to the army, rescuers found the siblings about 5 km west of the crash site. It was the "warrior" nature of Lesly, the eldest of the siblings, that allowed them to survive, judged one of their grandmothers. "She usually always took care of her siblings when their mother was working. She gave them flour, cassava bread, bush fruit."

More than 100 soldiers accompanied by sniffer dogs and dozens of natives searched for the children. Rescuers travelled nearly 2,656 km. The chances of survival were low in an environment where jaguars, pumas, snakes and other predators roam. Insects of all kinds are particularly voracious there. There is also the question of vital access to drinking water.