The Uitoto indigenous children, aged between one and 13, were found alive by rescuers last Friday, wandering alone in the Amazon rainforest since the crash of a Cessna 206 plane. Their mother, another adult and the pilot were also on board.
The scene where the plane crashed. Photo: AFP
All three adults died in the crash, but Manuel Miller Ranoque said his wife survived the crash along with the children.
"One thing Lesly, who is 13, told me is that their mother survived the accident and died four days later," Mr. Ranoque told reporters. "Before she died, my wife told the children that they need to get out of here and find their father."
The children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, is an indigenous leader. Thanks to indigenous survival knowledge, the children were able to survive inside the forest, which is fraught with dangers from jaguars and snakes, among other things.
The children ate seeds, fruits, roots and plants they could identify, said Luis Acosta of Colombia's National Indigenous Organization.
Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, who visited the four children in hospital with President Gustavo Petro, said the babies were recovering, but could not yet eat solid food.
The two youngest children, ages 5 and 1, spent their birthdays in the jungle. Lesly taught them how to survive in the jungle. In addition to jaguars, snakes and other predators, the area is also home to armed drug gangs.
General Pedro Sanchez, who led the search operation, credited the indigenous people involved in the rescue effort. Army commander Helder Giraldo said rescuers had traveled more than 2,600 kilometers in total to find the children.
Hoang Nam (according to AFP)
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