Four indigenous children from Colombia have been found alive – more than two weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed in thick jungle.
An 11-month-old baby was among those rescued – along with children aged four, nine and 13.
The plane – a Cessna 206 – was carrying seven people when it issued a distress alert due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1.
President Gustavo Petro said the discovery followed “arduous research” by the military – and he described the news as “a joy for the country”.
Three adults, including the pilot, died from the impact and their bodies were found inside the plane.
Preliminary information from Colombia’s civil aviation authority, which coordinated the rescue efforts, suggests the children escaped the plane and headed into the rainforest to find help.
Rescuers, backed by sniffer dogs, had previously found discarded fruit that children were eating to survive, as well as makeshift shelters made of jungle vegetation.
Planes and helicopters from the Colombian army and air force took part in the rescue operations.
