Colombia says 4 babies in plane crash are alive, search continues in Amazon jungle

The Colombian military said on May 29 that it was continuing to search for four children aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months, who went missing after a plane crash on May 1, according to AFP. The small Cessna 206 plane took off from the Araracuara region in the Amazon rainforest to the city of San Jose del Guaviare but experienced engine trouble and lost radar signal just minutes after departure.

A soldier stands next to the crashed plane on May 19.

In mid-month, the military found the plane stuck upright in dense jungle, its nose completely destroyed. The bodies of three adults, the pilot, an indigenous leader, and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutui Valencia, were recovered. However, the four children were not at the scene, and evidence suggested they were still alive.

"Based on the evidence, we concluded that the children were alive because if they were dead, we would have found them easily because they would have been lying in one place and the sniffer dogs would have found them," rescue team leader Pedro Sanchez said on May 29.

The children belong to the Huitoto indigenous tribe and have been taught to hunt and gather since childhood. Their grandfather, Fidencia Valencia, said they are used to the jungle but he fears "dark forces" are preventing the rescue. Tribe members are holding traditional rituals to pray to the forest spirit to spare the children's lives.

The diaper was found on May 23.

About 200 soldiers and indigenous people familiar with the terrain scoured the 320 ^square kilometer jungle area. General Sanchez said the search team believed they were at one point within 100 meters of the four children, but the storm and difficult terrain made it impossible to reach them.

Satellite images show the children's path from the crash site. Rescuers also found items, a makeshift tent and fruit the children had eaten. Last week, they found a pair of shoes and a diaper.

A soldier participating in the search operation talks with Manuel Ranoque (left), the father of four children.

The Colombian Air Force dropped 10,000 leaflets with instructions in Spanish and Huitoto to teach the children survival skills. Food packets and water bottles were also dropped in the area.

Over the weekend, the army deployed floodlights that could shine 3 kilometers (2 miles) so the children could see. Rescuers also recorded messages from the children’s grandmothers urging them to stay put and wait for soldiers to rescue them.

Helicopters and satellites are being used to search the area, which is home to predators such as leopards and snakes, as well as armed drug gangs.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 17 that four children had been found, but the next day he retracted the statement and apologized for the inaccurate information.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/colombia-noi-4-em-be-roi-may-bay-con-song-tiep-tuc-tim-trong-rung-amazon-185230530111959299.htm