Operation Esperanza ended successfully, more than 150 special commandos of the Army and indigenous people from various communities in the country participated in the search.
After an intense land search that included the participation of more than 150 special commandos of the Army and indigenous people from various communities in the country, the four children disappeared in the Guaviare jungle were finally found alive. These little ones had disappeared on May 1, after the aircraft in which they were transported, a Cessna 206 registration HK 2803, crashed while covering the route between Arauca and San José del Guaviare.
After 39 days of the accident and 35 days of searching by land, sources from the Military Forces confirmed the discovery of 13-year-old Lesly Jacobo Bonbaire, 9-year-old Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 4-year-old Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy and Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy from 1 year old, who belong to the Muinane indigenous community, which are located in the department of Amazonas, near the headwaters of the Cahuinarí and Araracuara rivers, in Caquetá, from where they left on the day of the accident.
During the search, various items were found that indicated that the children had survived the plane crash, including a bottle, apparently belonging to the baby, a hood where scissors and hair bows were found, and an open suitcase. In addition, fresh footprints were found that could correspond to the older girl.
The Army dropped survival kits in the area for a fortnight, which are believed to have been used by the children to survive in the jungle. In addition, an audio message was played from a helicopter in the language of the children’s grandmother, asking them to stay still to facilitate their location.
Currently, in a Colombian Air Force helicopter, minors are rescued from the thick jungle to take them back to civilization, where they are expected to receive medical attention to verify their state of health.
«From the heliport they go to Calamar. They refuel and continue to San José del Guaviare to take the children to the municipal hospital, where the care that the medical team of the Colombian Military Forces will continue,” revealed the Ministry of Defense.
#At this time commands of the @FuerzaAereaCol They take the 4 children out of the thick jungle. The helicopter 🚁 is more than 60 meters high. The trees 🌳 are very tall and the visibility is almost zero. They go to the heliport set up in the middle of the jungle for this operation.
From the heliport… pic.twitter.com/P7RYWDV9oi
— Mindefense (@mindefense) June 10, 2023
The aircraft accident occurred on May 1, when the pilot reported engine failure and tried to land on a body of water in the area. However, due to the height of the trees, the aircraft ended up falling to the ground in a rural area of Solano, in Caquetá.
During the search, there were moments of confusion and uncertainty after President Gustavo Petro posted a message on social media stating that the children had been found alive. However, this information was later denied by the Military Forces and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).
The discovery of these four children alive is a source of joy for their families and for the entire country, which has been waiting for their search for several weeks.