Siblings survive Colombian jungle ordeal, reunited with family after 40 days
Exhausted yet happy, four Indigenous children who had been missing for over a month in the Colombian Amazon rainforest were reunited with their relatives on Saturday, bringing a nerve-racking saga to a joyful conclusion that captivated the nation.
The siblings, who had been wandering alone in the jungle after surviving a small plane crash, were discovered following an intense rescue operation involving sniffer dogs, helicopters, and aircraft.
Looking thin and frail, the children were transported by an army medical plane to a military hospital in Bogota, as reported by AFP journalists at the scene.
Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, accompanied by President Gustavo Petro, visited the children in the hospital and reported that they were recovering, although they were not yet able to eat solid food.
The youngest two children, now aged five and one, spent their birthdays in the jungle while Lesly, the eldest at just 13 years old, guided them through the harrowing ordeal.
“It is thanks to her bravery, strength, and leadership that the three others were able to survive, with her care and her knowledge of the jungle,” Velasquez said.
General Pedro Sanchez, who led the search operation, credited the Indigenous people involved in the rescue effort for locating the children.
“We found the children: a miracle, a miracle, a miracle!” he exclaimed to reporters.
Members of the Huitoto Indigenous group, the children—aged 13, nine, five, and one—had been lost in the jungle since May 1, when the Cessna 206 they were traveling in crashed. The pilot had reported engine problems only minutes after taking off from a remote Amazon area known as Araracuara, on a 350-kilometer (217-mile) journey to the town of San Jose del Guaviare.
The bodies of the pilot, the children’s mother, and a local Indigenous leader were discovered at the crash site, where the plane was precariously lodged in the trees.
Authorities stated that the group had been fleeing threats from members of an armed group.
“They are happy to see their family… they are fully aware,” said the children’s grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, shortly after visiting them. He added, “They are children of the forest,” emphasizing their survival skills in the jungle. Initially, they sustained themselves by consuming a small amount of flour from the plane and later resorted to eating seeds.
At the request of their father, General Sanchez will become the youngest child’s godfather. Visibly moved, the officer expressed his honor to local television, placing his hand over his heart.
A massive search operation involving 160 soldiers and 70 Indigenous individuals with intimate knowledge of the jungle was launched after the crash, attracting global attention.
Army chief Helder Giraldo stated that rescuers had covered over 2,600 kilometers (1,650 miles) in total to locate the children. “Something that seemed impossible was achieved,” Giraldo shared on Twitter.
President Petro posted a photo on Twitter depicting several adults, some dressed in military fatigues, tending to the children as they sat on tarps in the jungle. One rescuer held a bottle to the mouth of the youngest child, cradling them in his arms.
Petro hailed the success as a “convergence of Indigenous and military knowledge,” showcasing a “different path towards a new Colombia.”
The area is home to jaguars, snakes, and other predators, as well as armed drug smuggling groups. However, clues such as footprints, a diaper, and partially eaten fruit gave authorities hope that they were on the right track.
Concerned that the children would continue to wander and become increasingly difficult to locate, the air force dropped 10,000 flyers into the forest.
The flyers contained instructions in both Spanish and the children’s own Indigenous language, urging them to stay put. The leaflets also included survival tips, and the military dropped food parcels and bottled water.
Rescuers also broadcasted a message recorded by the children’s grandmother, pleading with them not to move.
According to the military, the rescuers found the children about five kilometers (three miles) west of the crash site.
The children’s grandmother, Fatima Valencia, shared that 13-year-old Lesly kept her younger siblings safe with her “warrior” spirit.
However, the search is not yet entirely over as the army announced on Saturday that they would continue looking for Wilson, a rescue dog that went missing during the search.
“No one is left behind,” the army stated in a tweet that included a video of the six-year-old Belgian Shepherd Malinois.
Wilson played a crucial role in finding some of the items left behind by the children in the jungle and may have, at some point, followed alongside the kids while straying from the Army. The children recounted a dog following them, but it remains unclear if it was Wilson.
The news of the children’s rescue came as President Petro returned home from Cuba, where he had signed a six-month truce with Colombia’s last active guerrilla group, the ELN.
On Friday, he commended “the effective coordination between the military and the Indigenous people” during the search, deeming it an “example of an alliance for the country to follow.”
The successful rescue of the children brought relief and joy not only to their family but also to the entire nation. It served as a testament to the resilience of the Indigenous people and the dedication of the rescue teams, highlighting the spirit of unity and cooperation in the face of adversity.
With their remarkable survival and eventual rescue, these children of the bush have become a symbol of hope and inspiration, reminding us of the strength and tenacity of the human spirit, even in the most challenging circumstances.
AFP