The four children who were lost for 40 days in the Amazon jungle after surviving a plane crash and were rescued on Friday are in “acceptable clinical conditions,” the Central Military Hospital (HMC) in Bogotá reported this Saturday, where they are recovering.
“After having made an initial multidisciplinary assessment of the young heroine Lesly and her three little brothers, we found some children and a young woman in acceptable clinical conditions, despite the crisis and the situation experienced in the last 40 days,” General Carlos Rincón Arango, HMC doctor, revealed at a press conference.
The children were taken out of the jungle last night in a Colombian Air Force (FAC) helicopter that took them to San José del Guaviare, capital of the department of Guaviare, where a C-295 plane configured as an ambulance picked them up and brought them to the capital.
The rescued are the 13-year-old girl Lesly Mukutuy, who was in charge of taking care of her brothers Soleiny Mukutuy, 9, for 40 days; She has Noriel Ronoque Mukutuy, five years old, and Cristin Neruman Ranoque, a one-year-old baby.
The doctor assured that the minors will be hospitalized “more or less between two or three weeks” and will be cared for by a “multidisciplinary team.”
General Rincón explained that they are undergoing diagnostic clinical and imaging tests and nutritional and psychological recovery treatment, and stressed that “conditions that put their lives at risk have been ruled out.”
INTENSE SEARCH
The accident occurred on May 1 when a Cessna 206 plane operated by the Avianline Charter’s company in which the four children were traveling along with their mother, another adult and the pilot, crashed in the Colombian Amazon jungle, between the departments of Caquetá and Guaviare.
Fifteen days later, the authorities found the crashed plane and the three dead adults inside, but they did not find the minors, for which reason “Operation Hope” was launched, which mobilized more than 200 soldiers and indigenous people from the area in search of the children.
Finally, yesterday, on the 40th day after the accident, the miracle expected by the country occurred and the four children were found alive in a remote part of the jungle.
PETRO’S VISIT
President Gustavo Petro and Defense Minister Iván Velásquez led a government delegation that visited the minors today and stressed that they are in good condition, taking into account that they lasted 40 days lost in the jungle.
Velásquez appreciated what Lesly had done, whom he recognized “not only for her courage but for her leadership because”, thanks to her, “the three little brothers were able to survive, with her care, with her knowledge of the jungle.”
Minister @Ivan_Velasquez_ He recognized the leadership of Lesly, the older sister of the 4 siblings rescued in the jungle of Caquetá and Guaviare, who thanks to her strength, she and her siblings managed to survive.
The medical part was also delivered confirming that the children… pic.twitter.com/53Hd0eus67
— Mindefense (@mindefense) June 10, 2023
Likewise, he reported that Tien Noriel turned five when they were in the jungle, while Cristin, the baby, celebrated her first year of life there.
On the other hand, the minister also highlighted the work of all the people who participated in the search, led by the Military Forces and “the indigenous communities that supported, contributed” with their knowledge of the area.
The meeting of knowledge: indigenous and military.
The meeting of forces for a common good: indigenous guard and the military forces of Colombia.
Respect for the jungle.
Here a different path is shown for Colombia: I believe that this is the true path of Peace.
Here there is one… pic.twitter.com/Xl77iArFa6— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 10, 2023