uncertainty around the fate of four children, including a baby, missing in the jungle for more than 15 days after a plane crash

Where are the four children? Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who on Wednesday announced the rescue of four children, including an 11-month-old baby, who disappeared in the jungle of the Colombian Amazon after their plane crashed in early May, retracted Thursday, May 18, indicating the pursuit “tirelessly” researches. “I have decided to delete the tweet because the information provided (…) could not be confirmed. I regret what happened“, he wrote.

“A joy for the country”, he said Wednesday evening, announcing the rescue of four children aged thirteen, nine, four and an 11-month-old baby, of whom we have not heard since the accident of the small plane which transported them on May 1. The aircraft, a Cessna 206, had disappeared from radar in the vicinity of San José del Guaviare (Colombia), where he was to go. He was found upright on Monday, his nose crushed to the ground in the middle of dense vegetation.

The children’s mother died

Three bodies were recovered by the emergency services: those of the pilot, the mother of the children and a leader of the Uitoto indigenous community, to which the passengers belonged. They were the only adults on board. The hope of finding the children alive was maintained on Tuesday by the discovery of personal effects near the plane, including a bottle, as well as partially eaten fruit.

The Air Force is engaged in the rescue operation called “Hope” with three helicopters. On board one of the aircraft, a loudspeaker “capable of covering an area of ​​approximately 1,500 meters” plays a message recorded by the children’s grandmother. In the Uitoto language, the woman tells her grandchildren that they are wanted and asks them to stay where they are so that rescuers can locate them. According to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, the Uitoto live in “harmony” in the jungle and preserve traditions such as hunting, fishing and the gathering of wild fruits.

The causes of the accident have not yet been determined. According to civil protection, the pilot had reported problems with the plane’s engine before it disappeared from radar.