Children who survived the plane crash are receiving medical care

Four indigenous children who had been missing for more than five weeks in the Colombian jungle in the south of the country after a fatal plane crash, arrived in the capital Bogota early Saturday morning to receive medical care.

The brothers were found on Friday in Caqueta province, near where the plane crashed, and were initially treated by the military doctors involved in the search.

“Faith moves mountains, it is achievable when you believe, and perseverance allows you to achieve what you dream of,” General Pedro Sanchez, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command of the military forces at Katam Air Base, told reporters. Colombian capital.

“I saw them with great joy, and behind the eyes of hope lies the work of more than 350 people,” the official added. I’ve seen them completely stable, and they’ve really recovered. The minors, three girls and a boy, were taken to the military hospital in ambulances.

Operation Hope, the mission to find the four brothers, has captured the imagination of all of Colombia, with reports of clues to the children’s whereabouts, giving rise to the illusion that they will find them safe and sound despite enduring more than a month in an inhospitable territory. the forest

The search effort was conducted by Colombian special forces and members of indigenous communities who trekked more than 2,600 kilometers into the middle of the jungle, with the support of helicopters and trained dogs. In pictures released by the Colombian army, the four children appeared emaciated as the troops took care of them.

The plane – a Cessna 206 – was carrying seven people on a route between Araraquara, in the province of Caqueta, and the city of San Jose del Guaviare, when it issued an emergency engine failure alert on the morning of May 1.

Three adults, including the pilot and the children’s mother Magdalena Mokotoi, were killed in the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane. All four siblings, ages 13, 9 and 4, plus a 12-month-old while missing survived the impact. Authorities said Wilson, one of the dogs that supported the search, remains missing in the woods.

General Sanchez concluded, “The goal is to find it, but there will be a reasonable time in line with a reasonable space, in which we have recorded what we logically consider appropriate.”

Written by Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, and Nelson Bocanegra. –