Colombian children who survived five weeks in jungle released from hospital
Four Colombian Indigenous children who survived a plane crash in the country’s Amazon region and lived for more than five weeks in the jungle have been released from hospital after a 34-day stay, the government said on Friday.
The children, aged 1 through 13, survived the May 1 crash that killed their mother and two other adults and were found last month.
The indigenous children’s knowledge of the jungle, as well as the eldest sister’s courage, have been credited by officials with saving their lives.
“They have recovered size and weight, really they are very well,” Astrid Caceres, the director of the country’s child welfare institute, told journalists.
“The second phase of caring and protecting them begins.”
Children from a Cessna 206 plane that crashed in thick jungle, play in a recovery center after being discharged from the Military Hospital in Bogota, Colombia. via REUTERS
The siblings will remain under the care of the institute because of a “complex family situation,” she said, and final custody arrangements for them will be decided in six months.
“We’re entering a transitional phase for the protection of the children,” Caceres added.
Colombian military soldiers pose for a photo after the rescue of child survivors that survived for over five weeks after crashing in the jungles of Caqueta. via REUTERS
Both the father of the two youngest children and their mother’s family have told media they want custody.
Reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; editing by Deepa Babington
Source: New York Post
