Survivor of Colombian Plane Crash Informs Family of Mother’s Survival for Days

Four Indigenous children who endured a 40-day ordeal in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed have shared distressing details of their experience with family members. Among the revelations, they disclosed that their mother had survived the crash for several days before passing away.

Following their rescue on Friday, the children, aged 13, 9, 4, and 11 months, are receiving medical treatment at a hospital, where they are expected to remain for at least two weeks. Despite their physical exhaustion, some of the children are already speaking and expressing a desire to be active instead of confined to their beds, according to family members.

Manuel Ranoque, the father of the two youngest children, revealed that the eldest survivor, 13-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, informed him that their mother had lived for approximately four days after the plane crash on May 1. Ranoque speculated that before her death, she likely urged them to leave the wreckage site and save themselves. However, he did not provide further details.

One of the children’s uncles, Fidencio Valencia, shared that the children mentioned hiding in tree trunks to protect themselves from the jungle’s snakes, animals, and mosquitoes. Valencia expressed relief that the children, though exhausted, were now eating to some extent.

Valencia later provided additional information on the children’s recovery, stating that they had been drawing and occasionally needed an outlet for their emotions. Family members are giving them space and time to recover from the traumatic experience by limiting communication.

The children were traveling with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare when their plane experienced engine failure. The Cessna aircraft, carrying three adults and the four children, crashed, prompting a search and rescue operation.

Dairo Juvenal Mucutuy, another uncle, recounted that one of the children expressed a desire to start walking but complained about painful feet. Mucutuy promised the child that they would play soccer once they recovered.

Authorities and family members revealed that the family survived by consuming cassava flour, seeds, and relying on their knowledge of local fruits in the rainforest. The children are members of the Huitoto Indigenous group.

After their rescue, the children were airlifted to Bogota and subsequently admitted to a military hospital. President Gustavo Petro, government officials, military personnel, and family members visited the children on Saturday.

A video released by the air force depicted a helicopter lifting the children with lines since it was unable to land in the dense rainforest where they were found. Photos shared by the military showed soldiers and volunteers posing with the children, who were wrapped in thermal blankets. One soldier assisted the youngest child in drinking from a bottle.

General Pedro Sanchez, who led the rescue efforts, explained that the children were discovered 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from the crash site in a small forest clearing. Despite several previous search attempts that passed close by, the children had gone unnoticed.

Following the crash, a search team located the plane in a thick area of the rainforest two weeks later, on May 16, and recovered the bodies of the three adults on board. However, the young children were still missing.

Rescue teams dropped boxes of food from helicopters in the hope of sustaining the children, while planes deployed flares to aid ground search operations at night. Loudspeakers played a recorded message from the children’s grandmother, urging them to remain in one place.

Colombia’s army dispatched 150 soldiers with dogs to the area, although visibility was severely limited due to mist and dense foliage. Indigenous volunteers also joined the search effort.

Ranoque, the father of the youngest children expressed pride in the successful rescue, emphasizing the skills of the Indigenous population in navigating the jungle. He stated, “We proved to the world that we found the plane… we found the children.”

In a gesture of gratitude, members of the Indigenous community conducted a ceremony outside the Bogota military hospital, burning incense to give thanks for the children’s rescue.

Luis Acosta, coordinator of the Indigenous guard that participated in the Amazon search operation, highlighted the combination of ancestral wisdom and modern techniques that contributed to finding the children. He emphasized the collaboration between the military and traditional methods.

The Colombian government, currently focused on ending internal conflicts in the country, commended the joint efforts of the military and Indigenous communities in locating the children. The successful outcome serves as a testament to the power of unity and cooperation in challenging circumstances.

As the young survivors continue their recovery and receive the necessary medical attention, they will undoubtedly draw strength from their remarkable resilience and the support of their loved ones. Their survival against all odds stands as a testament to the human spirit and the determination to overcome adversity.