Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Oct 05, 2024

Colombia plane crash: Children reportedly survive 16 days in jungle

Colombia plane crash: Children reportedly survive 16 days in jungle

Officials in Colombia say four children missing since their plane crashed in the jungle have been found alive and well more than two weeks later.
Their mother and the other adults were killed in the crash.

The government's child welfare agency, ICBF, said it had received information "from the field" that the children had been found in good health.

A pilot said he had also been told the children had been found by indigenous people deep in the rainforest.

Soldiers taking part in the search, however, have yet to see the children for themselves.

The Cessna 206 light aircraft they had been in was flying from Araracuara, deep in the Amazon jungle in southern Colombia, to San José del Guaviare, when it disappeared in the morning of 1 May.

Its pilot had earlier reported engine problems.

After a huge search effort involving more than 100 soldiers, the plane was finally located on Monday, two weeks after it had disappeared.

The bodies of the pilot, the co-pilot and 33-year-old Magdalena Mucutuy, the mother of the four children, were found at the crash site in Caquetá province.

But the children, who are aged 13, nine and four years, as well as an 11-month-old baby, were nowhere to be found.

The search teams have, however, found clues indicating that the children, who are from the Huitoto indigenous group, survived the crash.

Sniffer dogs came across a child's drinking bottle, a pair of scissors, a hair tie and some half-eaten fruit.

The search teams also found an improvised shelter made from sticks and branches.

"We think that the children who were aboard the plane are alive. We have found traces at a different location, away from the crash site, and a place where they may have sheltered," Colonel Juan José López said on Wednesday.

Fearing that the children were wandering ever deeper into the jungle, the military deployed helicopters which played a recorded message from their grandmother in the Huitoto language urging them to stay put.

The search was hampered by heavy rains, but on Wednesday Colombia's Institute for Child Welfare told Colombia's president it had received reports "from the field" that the children had been found by locals.

President Petro tweeted the news, saying the had been located "after an arduous search".

However, confusion arose when Colombia's armed forces said they themselves had not yet been able to make contact with the children "due to the difficult meteorological conditions and the difficult terrain" - and could not confirm the news of their rescue.

Meanwhile, Avianline, a local plane operator which owned the crashed plane, released a statement saying that it too had received reports that the children had been found.

One of its pilots landing on a dirt strip in Cachiporro, a community near the crash site, was told that locals there had been contacted by radio from a remote location called Dumar and been told that the children had been found. They would be taken by boat to Cachiporro, he said.

The company added that it had no way of confirming if the information was correct, but it did point out that the arrival of the children by boat may have been delayed by heavy rains, which have made the river too dangerous to navigate.

Indigenous radio stations have also reported that the children were found by a local, and were being transported by river to Cachiporro.

President Petro has not released any news on the children since the tweet in which he announced that they had been located.

The children's father had earlier said that he was not giving up hope. He told Caracol Radio that his sister had once been lost in the forest for a month and managed to return.

It is thought that the Huitoto people's knowledge of fruits and jungle survival skills will have given the young children a better chance of surviving the ordeal.
Comments

Oh ya 1 year ago
Native kids that have been taught to live off the land. Todays youth would die as soon as their IPhone stopped working and they could not teach TicTok

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Global Unrest: UN Condemns Israeli Airstrikes, U.S. and U.K. Respond in Yemen, and Humanitarian Crises Escalate Worldwide
Russia Removes Taliban from Terrorist List, U.S. and South Korea Strengthen Defense Ties Amid Global Tensions
Donald Trump Urges Israel to Hit Iran's Nuclear Facilities First
US Army Tests Armed Robot Dogs in the Middle East
Biden Advises Israel Against Striking Iranian Oil Fields
US Strikes 15 Houthi Targets in Yemen Amid Ongoing Tensions
Israel Wipes Out Entire Hezbollah Leadership in Yet Another Devastating Strike in Beirut
Global Tensions Surge: Nuclear Threats, Natural Disasters, and Crime Crackdowns Shape a Tumultuous Week
Intensifying Conflicts: Israeli Airstrike Tragedy, Iran's Bold Stance, and Rising Tensions Across Asia and the Americas
Unlikely Alliances and Global Tensions: From U.S. Politics to Middle East Conflicts
Global Turmoil: Lebanon's Humanitarian Crisis, Mpox Outbreak in Africa, and Escalating Tensions in the Middle East
Rising Tensions: France Criticizes Israel, Jordan Launches Solar Hospital Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict
Biden Discusses Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran's Oil Facilities
Escalating Conflict: Israel's Intensified Military Actions and Regional Evacuations Amid Tensions with Hezbollah
Regional Tensions Surge: Israel's Military Moves in Lebanon, Morocco's Flood Relief, and Global Diplomatic Shifts
Middle East Tensions Escalate: Israeli Strikes and Humanitarian Efforts Amidst Regional Conflicts
Global Tensions Escalate: Iran Resumes Flights Amid Missile Attack, Nobel Peace Prize Debate, and Ongoing Conflicts
Singapore's Former Transport Minister Jailed in Historic Corruption Case Amidst Escalating Middle East Tensions
Global Unrest: From Guided Bombs in Kharkiv to Corruption Convictions in Singapore — A Snapshot of Today's Headlines
Global Unrest: Tragic Migrant Deaths in Mexico, Armenian Protests, US Election Drama, and Middle East Tensions
Iranian Mullah Claims Israel Used Genies to Hunt Hezbollah Leader
Iran's Missile Barrage at Israel Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions and Global Wildfires
Cyprus Opens Safe Passage for Middle East Evacuees Amid Escalating Tensions; Global Calls for Peace as Aid to Gaza Dwindles
Daesh Ambush Kills Iraqi Soldiers Amid Middle Eastern Turmoil as Nations Mobilize Evacuations and Aid
Kremlin Urges Restraint Amid Middle East Escalation; UN Barred by Israel, Desperate Search for Migrants off Djibouti Coast
Global Defense Tech, Protests, and Geopolitical Tensions Mark Headlines Amid Rising Military Expenditures and Regional Conflicts
UK PM Keir Starmer to Meet EU’s Ursula von der Leyen in Bid to Reset Post-Brexit Relations
Global Turmoil: Heated VP Debate, Taiwan Braces for Typhoon, and Escalating Middle East Conflict
Israeli Airstrikes in Beirut Force Residents to Seek Safety on the Beach
Iran Urges UN Action After Israel Strike, Amid Global Reactions and Regional Tensions
Jimmy Carter Celebrates 100th Birthday
Iraqi Armed Groups Threaten U.S. Bases Amid Iran-Israel Tensions
Iran's Missile Attack on Israel: Defeated but a Significant Escalation
Iran President Lauds Missile Attack on Israel as Decisive Response
Russia Criticizes Biden's Middle East Policies After Iran Attacks Israel
Iran's Missile Attack Spurs Israel's Strategic Response
Netanyahu Warns Iran After Failed Missile Attack on Israel
Renaming Controversy in Johannesburg; Iran's Missile Strike Heightens Middle East Tensions
European Airlines Suspend Middle East Flights Amid Rising Regional Tensions and Safety Concerns
UN Calls for Ceasefire as Lebanon Conflict Escalates: International Tensions and Evacuations on the Rise
Kamala Harris Denounces Iran as 'Dangerous' Force in Middle East
KLM Halts Tel Aviv Flights Amid Regional Tensions; Global Reactions Span from Conflict to Celebrations
Global Tensions Rise: France Deploys Carrier for Lebanon Evacuations, Iran Faces Deadly Flash Flood, and NATO's New Chief Stresses Unity
Zelensky Warns of Rising Tensions and Military Escalations Amid Global Power Shifts and Regional Instabilities
Far-Right Gains in Austria, US Military Buildup in Middle East, and Sudanese Aid Access Highlight Global Turmoil
Court Denies Bail to Imran Khan; German and UK Diplomats Act Amid Escalating Israel-Lebanon Conflict
Dubai's Viral Chocolate Bar and Middle East Tensions: A Cross-Continental Headlines Mix
European Ministers Hold Emergency Meeting After Hezbollah Leader Killed in Airstrike Amid Rising Israeli-Lebanese Conflict
Netanyahu Warns Iran: No Place in Middle East Beyond Israel's Reach
Israel Conducts Limited Ground Operations Against Hezbollah in Lebanon
×