4 Children Survive in Amazon Forest For 40 Days
Four children, including an infant were rescued 40 days after their plane crashed into the Amazon.
On 1st May 2023, inColombia’s Amazon forest, a single-engine propeller plane crashed due to engine failure. There were four children—aged 13, 9, 4, and 1 year old along with their mother, Ranoque Mucutuy, and 2 pilots on board.
After a long search on 16th May 2023, a team found the plane wreckage in the jungle and recovered the bodies of three adults but couldn't locate the children. A huge search operation was initiated. Teams later found several things left behind by the children like a water bottle, scissors, a hair tie, and a makeshift shelter. Small footprints were also found, leading search teams to think that the children were still alive in the jungle. This prompted them to continue their search. The search operation involved about 100 soldiers and local indigenous people who know the forest perfectly well. The search was a difficult task as the jungle area is covered in thick foliage and has limited visibility. The Colombian army also dropped food boxes into the jungle from helicopters, hoping that they would help the children to survive. Surviving for 40 days in the Amazon forest after the plane crash, all the four children were rescued on 9th June 2023.
The children are from the Huitoto indigenous group. Their community members believe that the children’s knowledge of fruits and jungle survival abilities have helped them survive. Since the children were from the Amazon area, they knew which seeds, roots and plants were edible. They also ate the food that was available on the plane, and searched for relief parcels dropped by search helicopters. The eldest child, Lesly Mucutuy, also used survival knowledge imparted by her grandmother to build a camp in the wilderness using hair ribbons. Locals had also advised authorities to broadcast a message from the children's grandmother in the Huitoto language, asking them to stop moving so they could be located easily. After the rescue the Colombian military posted photographs of the children. A video showed the children being lifted into a helicopter above the tall trees of the jungle. They have been flown to the nation's capital Bogota, where ambulances have taken them to hospital for further medical treatment. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the children were alone and are an example of total survival.
