Safe, the four children who were missing in the Amazon for 40 days

First modification: 06/10/2023 – 13:04

Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, four, and Cristin, one, had been missing since May 1, when the plane they were traveling in crashed in the Colombian Amazon, between the southern departments of Guaviare. and Caqueta. The mother of the children, the pilot and a leader of the Huitoto community to which they belonged, died.

During this search, the troops traveled more than 2,000 kilometers trying to find the survivors, a distance equivalent to twice the distance between Bogotá and Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Due to the thick vegetation in the area, with trees that reach 40 meters in height, the presence of jaguars and snakes, and the permanent rain that makes it impossible to hear possible calls for help, dozens of uniformed men and indigenous people had to be relieved during the operational.

Finally, the children were found on June 9 just 5 kilometers from the accident by indigenous people from the region, according to the soldier in charge of the rescue, General Pedro Sánchez.

Joy for Colombia

“A joy for the whole country! They appeared alive,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on Twitter. In this message, the president stressed that it was the “learning of indigenous families, of living in the jungle, that has saved them.”

The news of the lost children went around the world, with videos and photographs of the army on the day-to-day of the search operations in which they found makeshift shelters with branches, scissors, hair ties, shoes, clothes, a bottle, bitten fruits and footprints.

Fátima Valencia, the children’s grandmother, assured that thanks to the “warrior” nature of Lesly, the eldest, her younger siblings were safe.

According to the Colombian Indigenous Organization, the Huitotos, natives of the area, live in “harmony” with the hostile conditions of the Amazon and preserve traditions such as hunting, fishing and gathering wild fruits.

The minors boarded the plane with their mother on May 1 to flee from the dissidents of the peace agreement between the FARC and the government, who recruit and intimidate the inhabitants of the area, said General Pedro Sánchez.

with AFP