Missing Children from Amazon 'Miraculous Survival'... Even a One-Year-Old Lived

Missing 40 Days After Light Aircraft Crash

Four children who went missing after a small plane crash in the middle of the Amazon rainforest have been found 40 days later. Overcoming the shock of the accident and hunger, their miraculous survival has sparked cheers across Colombia, with many calling it a "miracle."

Missing Children from Amazon 'Miraculous Survival'... Even a One-Year-Old Lived

Children and rescue workers safely found in the Amazon jungle on the 9th (local time)

According to local Colombian media on the 9th (local time), military authorities officially reported to the government on the same day that "the four children who went missing in the Amazon jungle areas of Guaviare and Caquet? have been confirmed alive."

The children have been identified as Lesly Mukutui (13), Soleini Mukutui (9), Tien Noriel Ronoke Mukutui (4), and Christine Neriman Lanoke Mukutui (1).

According to authorities, on the 1st of last month, a small plane carrying three adults including the pilot and four children was flying toward the small town of San Jose del Guaviare when it crashed in the Solano village in the southern Colombian Amazon jungle. All three adults were found dead, but the whereabouts of the children on board remained unknown until now.

However, the children were found on the 40th day after the accident. The youngest child was 11 months old at the time of the crash and celebrated their first birthday in the jungle.

The children showed signs of malnutrition but were otherwise reported to be in good health.

On the 10th (local time), the surviving child was transported to Bogota, the capital of Colombia.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

There is intense interest in how the children managed to survive safely. First, the small plane crashed nose-first into the ground, so the children seated toward the rear likely experienced less physical impact. Furthermore, according to the accident report prepared by the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, Christine, the youngest passenger at just one year old, was believed to have been held in her mother's arms at the time of the crash.

It is also analyzed that the children survived hunger by using survival kits dropped from the air by rescue teams during search operations. These kits contained food and various supplies, which the children likely found and utilized. In fact, last month, rescue teams discovered baby bottles and partially eaten fruit pieces believed to have been used by the children during the search in the Amazon jungle.

The fact that these children belong to the Huitoto indigenous group of South America is also thought to have helped them survive in the harsh environment.

The Huitoto people are indigenous to southeastern Colombia and northern Peru. John Moreno, an indigenous leader from the Vaup?s region of Colombia, said, "This area is a dense and dangerous primeval forest," adding, "The children likely used knowledge gained from their community, that is, ancestral knowledge, to survive."

Rescue authorities also recorded the children's grandmother shouting "Do not move further" in the Huitoto language and broadcasted it via helicopter.

The "miracle children" were safely transported to Bogot?, the capital of Colombia, as of the 10th. They were all moved to a nearby hospital for examinations. Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted about the children's survival, calling it "the joy of the entire nation."

The rescue operation named by the Colombian military for these children was "Esperanza," which means "hope" in Spanish.