Child plane crash survivors in "acceptable" state of health
Recasts with details of children's health status, quote from the defense minister in paragraph 4 and children's great uncle in paragraph 6
BOGOTA, June 10 (Reuters) -Four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia's southern jungle, after survivinga plane crash which killed their mother, are in an "acceptable" state of health, the government said on Saturday.
The siblings were found on Friday in Caqueta province after weeks of searching by the military, Indigenous communities and others, and were initially treated by military medics before being transported to a military hospital in capital Bogota.
President Gustavo Petro, his family and other officials visited the children at the hospital on Saturday morning, with Petro saying on Twitter the rescue was an example of different groups coming together for the common good.
"In general the boy and the girls are in an acceptable state. According to the medical reports they are out of danger," Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said during a press conference after the visit.
The children are not yet able to eat, he added, but are being hydrated and stabilized.
"They are very thin but I know they're in good hands," the children's great-uncle Fidencio Valencia told journalists as he left the hospital. "We never expected to find them so well."
Velasquez recognized the eldest of the siblings, a 13-year-old girl, for her bravery.
The youngest of the children turned one while in the jungle, while her brother had his fifth birthday, he said. The other sister is nine.
The siblings have some insect bites and other minor injuries, army Major General Carlos Rincon said, but "life-threatening conditions are ruled out."
Clues as to the siblings'whereabouts have been reported for weeks as the search, dubbed Operation Hope, continued.
Wilson, one of the military dogs which participated in the operation, is now himself missing, but an effort to find him is taking place, the military has said.
In photos shared by Colombia's military, thechildren appear gaunt.
It is unclear whether they havealready been reunited with their father, Manuel Ranoque, who was not on the airplane and participated in the search.
Their ordeal began in the early hours of May 1, when theCessna 206 aircraft carrying seven people and travelingbetween Araracuara airport in Caqueta and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, issued a mayday alert due to engine failure.
Three adults, including the pilot and the children's mother, died in the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane.
Reporting by Carolina Pulice and Luis Jaime Acosta, Additional reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Writing by Carolina Pulice and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Jamie Freed and Andrea Ricci
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
