Four missing children found alive 17 days after plane crash in Colombian jungle

President Gustavo Petro has confirmed on Wednesday the discovery of the four children who were lost after the crash of a plane in the department of Caquetá, on May 1. The minors, whose ages are 11 months, 4, 9 and 13 years, were traveling with three adults, who died after the accident.

After arduous search of our Military Forces, we have found alive the 4 children who had disappeared due to the plane crash in Guaviare. A joy for the country.

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) May 17, 2023

The lost plane was traveling from Araracuara (Caquetá) to San José del Guaviare. After 7:30 a.m. on May 1, he reported an engine failure. Its last recorded location was approximately 175 km from the destination, on the Apaporis River, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Since then his whereabouts were unknown, until Tuesday, more than two weeks later, when authorities found the remains of the aircraft and the bodies of the three adults traveling in it. Some elements were also sighted that allowed them to continue with the search for possible survivors.

On Wednesday morning, Juan José López, director of Air Navigation of Aerocivil, told Hoy por Hoy, of Caracol Radio, that there were indications that allowed us to believe in the possibility of finding the children alive. As reported to the morning program, the door of the plane was open when they found it, and far from the place were found a teapot, with which it is presumed that the baby was fed and remains of fruits that had been consumed less than three days ago.

The official announced that the search for the missing children would be intensified, although he acknowledged that the climatic conditions, added to the natural difficulties of a jungle environment, complicated the work. This Wednesday, however, the weather conditions improved, which allowed to undertake an overflight through the area that included a loudspeaker to try to locate the children.

Subscribe here to the newsletter of EL PAÍS about Colombia and receive all the informative keys of the current situation of the country.