Authorities in Colombia confirmed Friday that four indigenous children who went missing 40 days ago after surviving a minor plane crash in the Amazon jungle had been discovered alive, capping a frantic search that engulfed the country. President Gustavo Petro informed reporters upon his arrival back in Bogota from Cuba, where he signed a cease-fire deal with leaders of the National Liberation Army rebel group, that the youngsters were alone when searches discovered them and are currently receiving medical treatment. The president declared the children to be "examples of survival" and stated that their tale "will remain in history."
The Cessna single-engine propeller plane carrying seven people and a pilot made an emergency declaration owing to an engine failure in the early hours of May 1. This is when the tragedy occurred. Shortly after the little plane vanished from the radar, a desperate hunt for survivors started. The bodies of the three adults were discovered nearby after their deaths. The search team discovered the wreckage in a dense area of the jungle on May 16 two weeks after the crash and collected the remains of the adults, but the little children were not among them.
Sensing that they could still be alive, Colombia's army intensified its search for the four siblings, aged 13, 9, 4, and 11 months, and flew 150 soldiers into the region with dogs to find them. Numerous Indigenous tribal volunteers also contributed to the hunt. The youngsters were bundled in thermal blankets as the troops and volunteers posed for photos with them, according to images the military posted on Friday. The tiniest youngster was given a bottle by one of the troops. The military leadership of Colombia stated on its Twitter account that "the combination of our efforts made this possible."
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