After a plane disaster, four kids, including a baby, were discovered alive in Amazon.
After a plane crash more than two weeks earlier, four indigenous children, including an 11-month-old infant, were discovered alive in the deep Colombian Amazon, according to President Gustavo Petro, who expressed "pleasure for the country."
Petro tweeted the information, stating that the military had conducted "arduous search operations" before finding the kids.
More than 100 soldiers and sniffer dogs had been sent by the authorities to look for the children on the plane that crashed on May 1, killing three adults.
Rescuers think the kids, who also comprised a 13-month-old, a 9-year-old, and a 4-year-old, had been lost in the southern Caqueta region rainforest since the crash.
The military stated earlier on Wednesday that rescuers' search efforts were stepped up after they discovered a "shelter created in an improvised method with twigs and branches," which led them to suspect there were survivors.
On the jungle floor, among the branches, were seen scissors and a hair tie in images provided by the military.
A baby's bottle and a piece of fruit that had been partially consumed had already been discovered.
Soldiers discovered the bodies of the pilot and two adults on Monday and Tuesday. They had been travelling by plane from a jungle area to San Jose del Guaviare, one of the major towns in Colombia's Amazon rainforest.
Ranoque Mucutuy, one of the deceased passengers, was the Huitoto woman who gave birth to the four children.
Large trees that might reach a height of 40 metres, wild animals, and a lot of rain made the "Operation Hope" search challenging.
Three helicopters have been utilised to assist, and one of them broadcast an audio message in the Huitoto language from the children's grandmother ordering them to stop travelling through the jungle.
The cause of the jet accident has not been disclosed by the authorities.
Only minutes before the plane vanished from radars, the pilot had reported engine issues, according to Colombia's disaster response agency.
As there aren't many roads in the area and getting there by river is challenging, air travel is frequently used.
The Huitoto, also known as the Witoto, are renowned for coexisting peacefully with the wilderness and for having advanced hunting, fishing, and collecting techniques that may have assisted the young survivors.
Throughout many decades, assimilation, sickness, and exploitation have dramatically decreased the population.
Petro, Colombia's first Marxist president, made the announcement of the rescue.
Since taking office in August of last year, he has failed to bring about the substantial changes he promised to make to the judiciary, healthcare, pensions, and labour laws.