Four indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in the Colombian jungle in the south of the country after a deadly plane crash, arrived in the capital Bogotá early Saturday morning to receive medical attention.
The brothers were found on Friday in the department of Caquetá, near the place where the plane crashed, and were initially treated by military doctors who participated in their search.
“Faith moves mountains, it can be achieved when you believe, persistence allows you to achieve what you dream of,” General Pedro Sánchez, commander of the Joint Command of Special Operations of the Military Forces at the CATAM military airbase, told reporters. in the Colombian capital.
“I saw them with immense joy, behind those eyes of hope lies the work of more than 350 people,” added the official. “I saw them quite stable, already quite recovered.” The minors, three girls and a boy, were transferred to the Military Hospital in ambulances.
Operation Hope, the mission to find the four brothers, captivated the imagination of all Colombia, with reports of clues about the whereabouts of the children that fueled the illusion that they would find them safe and sound despite enduring more than a month in the inhospitable jungle
The search efforts were carried out by Colombian special forces and members of indigenous communities who traveled more than 2,600 kilometers in the middle of the jungle, with the support of helicopters and trained dogs. In the photos shared by the Colombian Army, the four children looked emaciated as troops cared for them.
The plane – a Cessna 206 – was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara, in the department of Caquetá, and the city of San José del Guaviare, when it issued an emergency alert for engine failure on the morning of May 1.
Three adults, including the pilot and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, died in the accident and their bodies were found inside the plane. All four siblings, ages 13, 9 and 4, as well as a baby who turned 12 months old while they were missing, survived the impact. Authorities said Wilson, one of the dogs that had supported the search, is still missing in the jungle.
“The objective is to find it, but there will be a reasonable time aligned with a reasonable space, that we have recorded what we sensibly consider appropriate,” General Sánchez concluded.
By Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin and Nelson Bocanegra.-
Source: Ambito
