New details emerge about the survival of the four Colombian children
More than a month of searching for the four children who went missing after the plane crash of the Cessna 206 HK plane, they obtained their miracle on 9 June. Lesly, Soleiny, Tien Noriel and baby Cristin, aged thirteen, nine, four and one year respectively, were found alive 40 days after their disappearance. While the four children are recovering in a military hospital in Bogota, their relatives have explained some of the events the children themselves have been recounting since they were found. One of the first to be revealed is that their mother survived for four days after the plane in which they were travelling crashed.
Both the bodies of the mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, and the other two adults were found lifeless on 16 May. It was then that a search against the clock began, which seemed doomed to failure and could only be avoided by a miracle that finally happened. Narciso Mucutuy, the children's grandfather, has recounted many of the experiences of his grandchildren, based on what the eldest of them, Lesly, told him. Lesly said that after the accident they travelled aimlessly through the jungle, but always left signs in the places where they spent the nights, in case anyone was looking for them.
Lesly has surprised the rescuers. They consider their knowledge of survival to be extensive - due in large part to their knowledge of the Uitoto, the children's ethnic group - and the main reason for their survival and that of their siblings. "They were always located near a river (...) The eldest was clever because we realised that she took the awning, the towel, a torch with two batteries and two mobile phones, with which they were distracted at night, a music box and the bottles of soda", explained Nicolás Ordóñez, the indigenous man who found the children, to the media El Espectador.
He also assures that the eldest of the siblings "remembered everything, she told us that they heard the helicopters with the message that their grandmother sent them, the message in the Uitoto language". The survival kits dropped from the helicopters were not enough to survive, so they were forced to consume fariña, a flour extracted from bitter cassava, and also seeds from the seje palm, seeds from palm trees that when crushed turn into a refreshing liquid. However, one of the key ingredients was the juan soco, also known as avichure, which is similar to passion fruit, and which they consumed following the recommendation given to them by their grandmother Fatima.
On the other hand, access to water was not a problem. This is a region where it rains for approximately 16 hours a day, so they did not suffer from dehydration, although they did suffer from malnutrition, according to the authorities. The children's skin has also been affected by the weather conditions. The extreme humidity to which they have been subjected in recent weeks has affected their skin health.
The rescue of the four children is now considered one of the great miracles in the history of Colombia, in which the rescue dog Wilson, who got lost in the jungle during the search, has also been highlighted. A few days later, the dog's footprints were found next to those of one of the children, which was clear evidence that they were still alive. Now, with the children recovering, efforts to find the dog continue, as General Pedro Sanchez said: "The search is not over. We still have a missing commando. But no one is left behind. We never leave a comrade behind", in reference to Wilson.
Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia, pointed out that "they were alone. They themselves gave an example of total survival that will go down in history. These children are today the children of peace". The children were found to the cry of "miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle", one for each of the children found. This was the culmination of a historic discovery and a display of survival unworthy of a group of children who are now living history in Colombia.
