Colombia: 4 Children Possibly Found Alive After Plane Crash
On Wednesday, Colombian Pres. Gustavo Petro made a statement that four children had been found alive more than two weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed into the dense jungle of the Caqueta province.
Facts
- On Wednesday, Colombian Pres. Gustavo Petro made a statement that four children had been found alive more than two weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed into the dense jungle of the Caqueta province.1
- The plane — a Cessna 206 — with seven passengers on board was traveling between Araracuara and San Jose del Guaviare on May 1 when it issued a "mayday" alert due to engine failure.2
- While three adults, including the pilot, died, authorities believe the four children, aged 13, 9, 4, and 11 months old, survived the crash and ventured into the rainforest to find help.3
- The children were rescued by members of the military, firefighters, and civil aviation authority officials, with preliminary information revealing they survived on fruits and built shelters using sticks and branches.4
- Though Petro claimed the missing children had been located alive after an "arduous search" involving more than 100 soldiers, defense ministry sources contradicted the claim saying they had no confirmation the children had been found. Indigenous radio stations reported that the children had been found by a local member of the population.5
- Late last night, the military said the children were not in their custody, and their whereabouts remained unknown to officials, adding that the president had been "misinformed."6
Sources: 1New York Post, 2Reuters, 3Guardian, 4DW, 5BBC News, and 6Daily Mail.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. The forest in Caqueta is home to wild animals, prone to heavy rainfall, filled with about 40-meter-tall trees, and challenging to access by road or river. With conditions in the dense forest considered dangerous, believing four young children could survive for 17 days is sadly difficult.
- Narrative B, as provided by Times of Malta. Even if there is no information on where the children had been rescued or how they survived alone in the treacherous forest for weeks, the fact that they are likely all alive based on multiple data points and being transported by boat downriver is a cause for celebration.
