Colombia: Intense search to find four children in the jungle

Rescuers are trying to find four children in Colombia, including an 11-month-old, who disappeared in the Amazon jungle in early May after the small plane in which they were traveling with their mother crashed. Was found dead along with two other adults on board.

More than 100 soldiers are on the “track” of the children with the help of sniffer dogs, the military announced on Wednesday, as the search intensifies after new clues were discovered suggesting they may be alive.

“Efforts to locate four minors, ages thirteen, nine, four and an 11-month-old child, have intensified in recent hours,” the army said in a statement.

The children may have wandered for more than 15 days in the untouched jungle between the department of Caqueta, where the small plane was found crushed to the ground on Monday, and Guaviare in Colombia’s south.

The plane, a Cessna 206, disappeared from radar on 1 May in the vicinity of San José del Guaviare, where it was supposed to go. Authorities said they discovered three bodies between Monday and Tuesday. That of the pilot was found inside the first plane. Authorities have not released the identity of the third victim.

The children are one sibling and travel with their mother, all Utoto, an indigenous people.

In its statement, the military said rescuers discovered a “makeshift shelter made of sticks and branches” and believed at least one would survive.

In photos provided to the press, what appear to be scissors and bands of hair can be seen with tags, new clues to guide rescuers.

Already on Tuesday, officials announced that they had found personal effects, as well as partially eaten fruit. A baby bottle was found near the device.

However, the forest is very dense and dangerous in this particularly remote area. The search is made particularly difficult by the presence of wild animals, trees that can measure up to 40 meters high and heavy rain.

– loudspeaker –

The Air Force joined the relief operation named “Hope” with three helicopters. On one of these devices, a loudspeaker “capable of covering an area of ​​approximately 1,500 meters” broadcasts a recorded message by the children’s grandmother.

In the Utoto language, the woman tells her grandchildren that they are wanted and asks them to stay where they are to help find them.

Officials have not given a reason for the family’s escape. But residents of this region, which is particularly difficult to reach due to a lack of roads, are often forced to travel on small planes.

According to Colombia’s National Indigenous Organization (ONIC), the Utoto live in “harmony” in the jungle and maintain traditions such as hunting, fishing, and gathering wild fruits.

The reasons for the accident are not yet known.

According to civil protection, the pilot reported a problem with the plane’s engine before disappearing from radar.

The pictures released by the army showed the device vertically in dense vegetation.