Children who survived plane crash in Colombia found after 40 days

Four indigenous children were rescued alive this Friday (9) in the jungles of southeastern Colombia, 39 days after the small single-engine plane they were traveling in crashed, two high-ranking officials from the Military Forces told Reuters.

The minors were rescued by Army troops on the border between the departments of Caquetá and Guaviare, close to the area where the Cessna 206 plane, which covered the route between Araracuara and the city of San José del Guaviare, crashed.

“They are alive, they are alive, we found them,” a senior military source close to the rescue operation told Reuters.

The aircraft with seven occupants declared an emergency on the morning of May 1, due to an apparent engine failure.

The three adults who were on the plane, including the pilot, died and their bodies were found inside the aircraft, while four minors, aged 13, 9 and 4, as well as a 12-month-old baby, survived the impact.

Preliminary information from the Military Forces, which continuously coordinated rescue efforts despite the difficult weather, indicate that the children got off the plane and began to walk in search of help in the middle of the jungle.

The rescuers, who had the support of dogs trained in search and rescue, found traces of fruit that the children ate to survive, as well as makeshift shelters made of vegetation in the middle of the jungle.

Air Force and Army aircraft and helicopters participated in search and rescue operations.

Source: CNN Brasil

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