Four indigenous brothers have survived 40 days in the Colombian jungle. The news seems like a miracle: they came out alive from the plane crash in which the mother died on May 1 and remained safe in a jungle that does not enter the sun's rays and is full of dangerous animals. The oldest of them is only 13 years old and had to take care of her three siblings, including a baby who turned one year old in those six weeks of wild life.
So far the story is only known from the side of the Military Forces and the communities that moved heaven and earth to find them alive. However, several data allow us to reconstruct the 40 days of search:
Day 1: The plane disappears
A Cessna 206 plane disappeared on May 1 over the Apaporis River after reporting an engine failure. It covered the route Araracuara (Caquetá) – San José del Guaviare, a jungle area with limited transport options and where trips in this type of precarious aircraft are common. In addition to the pilot, two adult passengers and four children from the Uitoto community were traveling.
The aircraft, manufactured in the United States in 1982, had already crashed in June 2021 due to the loss of engine power. The device was repaired without consulting the manufacturer because it was cheaper to restore. In June 2022, it had received its most recent certificate of airworthiness, the document by which the State guarantees that it can fly.
On the day of the disappearance, the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) and the Military Forces created a Unified Command Post (PMU) to search for the plane.
Day 16: Discovery of the aircraft
Aerocivil confirmed on May 16 that it had found the plane and, inside it, the bodies of the three adults. The day before, they had found a clue: "After the intense search with our canine Wilson a teapot was found, which would belong to the 11-month-old baby traveling on board the aircraft."
Place of accident of the plane in Guaviare.Colombian Army (EFE/Colombian Army)
The whereabouts of the children, children of one of the deceased, became the focus of attention. They were identified as Lesly Mucutuy (13 years old), Soleiny Mucutuy (9 years old), Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy (4 years old) and Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy (11 months old). The military joined indigenous people in the area to launch a search operation, which they called Esperanza. Through loudspeakers, they played audios with the anguished call of the children's grandmother in uitoto, their native language. A teapot, scissors and a bitten apple gave indications that they had survived the accident.
As the days went by, it was learned that the children and their mother were traveling on the plane to meet their father, Manuel Ranoque, an indigenous leader who had moved from his reservation after being threatened by guerrillas. The six were going to meet again in Villavicencio (Meta), and then start a new life in Bogotá.
Day 17: Erroneous announcement of the rescue of the children
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 17 that the four brothers had been found alive. "After arduous search efforts by our Military Forces, we have found alive the four children who had disappeared due to the plane crash in Guaviare. A joy for the country," he wrote on Twitter after the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) informed him that the children were being transferred upstream to the command post of the authorities.
More information
The real (and incomplete) story of the four missing children in Colombia's jungle
The country was deluded by what seemed like a miracle back then. However, the Aerocivil and Military Forces did not confirm the finding. Colombia was on tenterhooks for hours, in which the Executive remained firm in its announcement and in which the difficult weather conditions made it difficult to corroborate the information.
Screenshot of Gustavo Petro's Twitter account
Finally, the president rectified and apologized. "I'm sorry for what happened. The Military Forces and indigenous communities will continue in their tireless search to give the country the news it is waiting for," Petro said. Days later, on May 23, the president said that he did not write the announcement on Twitter and blamed the ICBF for having passed the information to him: "The trill is an official communication. Not from the president, but from the ICBF."
Day 24: New signs of survival
The Army reported on May 24 that it had found new traces, almost 600 meters from the place where the plane went down: used diapers, a mobile phone accessory, a towel and tennis shoes. In addition, there were no traces of blood indicating serious injuries. The illusion of finding them alive resurfaced, despite the difficulty of looking for them in a jungle where you can not see more than 20 meters away and where the sun's rays barely reach between the trees. "This encourages the titanic effort of Operation Hope, where more than 350 Colombians use all their capabilities to defy the impossible and bring back the four children," the Military Forces said.
The community and family never lost hope. "I have already faced this many times. I had a sister lost for almost a month and I fought to find her, because she is a mute, special sister, and in the same way she returned, "said the father of the children a few days earlier, in Noticias Caracol. Likewise, Fany Kuiru Castro, an indigenous leader and cousin of one of the deceased, commented on May 25 in an interview with EL PAÍS that the community was already talking with the ICBF about how the children would be received: "We all have hope, that's why we are planning to receive them with fish broth, casabe and caguana."
Day 31: "The children lost in the jungle are alive. If they were dead, we would have found them by now."
Pedro Sánchez, general of the Air Force and commander of Operation Hope, had no doubts on May 31 during an interview with EL PAÍS. He was sure they were alive, despite dangers such as jaguars, ocelots, snakes and poisonous plants. "It's a totally inhospitable environment. But we keep the faith intact. We have found indications that they are alive," he said. "Their corpses have not turned up, I'm sure we would have found them by now if they were dead."
Items found in a makeshift shelter. COLOMBIAN MILITARY FORCES
The commander acknowledged that the baby, who had just turned one year old, was of particular concern, but reiterated that they remained hopeful. "The probability is lower than that of an adult, but until we find otherwise, it is as alive as the rest." He recalled that the Indians are accustomed to handling themselves in the jungle and assured that they would find them. "Failure is not an option for us," he said.
Day 40: Rescue
Petro again announced on June 9 the rescue of the children. "A joy for the whole country. The four children who were lost 40 days ago in the Colombian jungle appeared alive," he said on Twitter, along with a photo of the children. This time the news was true and joy soon erupted throughout the government, Congress, the media and the country in general.
🇨🇴Thanks to the jungle, the indigenous people and all the members of the Military Force who were in charge of the #OperaciónEsperanza✨, the children appeared. https://t.co/WaDiGn19z2
— Family Welfare | ICBF (@ICBFColombia) June 10, 2023
The children were dehydrated and with their bodies full of mosquito bites. The Ministry of Defense reported that they receive medical attention at the municipal hospital of San José de Guaviare and that they will be transferred as soon as possible to the Military Hospital of Bogotá to continue with their recovery.
The bitter point of the miracle is that Wilson, a rescue dog that had been lost during the search and who was with the children at some point, has not been found, according to some footprints. The head of the ground mission had expressed a few days ago his illusion of finding him: "We believe that Wilson is with them. It would be spectacular if the puppy was with them, it would be good company."
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