Four Indigenous children, aged 13, 9, 5, and 1, were miraculously found alive in the Amazon rainforest, where they had been wandering alone for over a month. The children were discovered after a small plane carrying them and three adults crashed, claiming the lives of the adults.
Colombian television aired poignant footage captured on a mobile phone, showing the emotional moment when the exhausted children met their rescuers. The youngsters appeared emaciated from their time in the wilderness, while the rescuers, fellow Indigenous members, celebrated and sang songs considered sacred in the jungle.
Speaking about the encounter, Nicolas Ordonez Gomes, one of the search and rescue crew, recounted the eldest daughter, Lesly, running towards him with her youngest sibling in her arms, expressing their hunger. Another child sadly informed Ordonez Gomes about the death of their mother.
To provide solace, the rescuers assured the children that they were there as friends and family. Ordonez Gomes mentioned that one of the boys made a simple request for bread and sausage, revealing their desperate need for food.
Interestingly, just before discovering the children, the rescue team encountered a turtle—an important symbol in Indigenous traditions. The team believed that asking the turtle for assistance would guide them to the missing children, a wish that seemingly came true.
