Colombia overjoyed after four children found in forest two weeks after deadly plane crash

Four survivors of a plane crash that was assumed to have killed everyone onboard have been found in Colombia's lush forest, according to the New York Post. The miraculous survivors include four children, one of which is an 11-month-old infant. The quartet was found alive two weeks after a plane crashed into the jungle on May 1, killing the pilot and two other adult passengers.

Moments before the crash, the airplane had sent out a mayday alert while passing through the Amazonas province to a city located in the Guaviare province. The victims were found dead inside the Cessna 206 aircraft. A fortnight later, the tragic incident had a silver lining, when the four surviving children aged 13, 9, 4 and the infant were found by search and rescue teams.

The search operations included airplanes, helicopters and dogs of the Colombian defence forces. In addition to finding the survivors, rescuers also found the remains of the fruits consumed by the minors and a "shelter built in an improvised way with sticks and branches," the Colombian military said on Wednesday.

Después de arduas labores de búsqueda de nuestras Fuerzas Militares, hemos encontrado con vida a los 4 niños que habían desaparecido por el accidente aéreo en Guaviare. Una alegría para el país.

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo)

Colombian President celebrates discovery of survivors

The news of their survival was shared by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. According to officials, the children were able to survive after they escaped the plane and walked great distances for help, before finally being found by authorities in the Caqueta province.

“After arduous searching by our military, we have found alive the four children who went missing after a plane crash in Guaviare. A joy for the country," Petro said on Twitter. But in spite of the leader's announcement, confusion over the children's circumstances has taken over Colombian authorities. Sources of the defence ministry have claimed that they are yet to receive confirmation about the children found.