Four siblings who went missing in the Colombian jungle after a plane crash May 1 have reportedly been found, the country’s Institute of Family Welfare announced Wednesday.
The bodies of the pilot of the crashed Cessna 206, Hernando Murcia, and two passengers, Herman Hernandez of a Colombian foundation and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, were found near the wreckage in a remote part of Caqueta province.
Shortly before crashing and losing contact, Murcia reported the Cessna was experiencing engine failure.
The four children — daughter Lesly, 13; and sons Soleiny, 9; Tien, 4; and Cristin, 11 months — have not directly been located by investigators.
While the Institute of Family Welfare announced the finding of the children, it received that information secondhand from communities near the crash, including the village of Dumar.
The owner of the crashed plane, Avianline Charter, reported the children were alive and carried downriver by boat.
The jungle makes it difficult for investigators to travel swiftly.
“It is a virgin forest, very dense and linked to the Apaporis River, so there are parts that become muddy and others that, due to the trees of [98 to 164 feet], it is difficult to walk because of the large roots. Added to this is the weather, the storms, the heat and the animals,” German Camargo, director of civil defense in Colombia’s Meta region, told the country’s El Spectador newspaper.
The Colombian military, which is aiding the search, has not contacted the children could not corroborate reports of their survival.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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