Colombia Commemorates First Anniversary of Indigenous Children's Rescue in Amazon After Plane Crash

Four Indigenous children were rescued after surviving a small plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. The children, aged 13, 9, 4, and 11 months old, were found after 40 days of fending for themselves. Their mother and two adults on board the plane did not survive. The children face an uncertain future as custody is being determined. The siblings, from Colombia’s Huitoto tribe, were found healthy and under state care. The children survived on fruits and seeds before being rescued by special forces soldiers and Indigenous volunteers. A custody battle ensued between their maternal grandparents and their deceased mother’s partner, Manuel Ranoque, who is the father of the two youngest children. Ranoque faced accusations of sexual abuse of one of the children and was imprisoned. Despite the challenges, the children are growing up successfully. Relatives and rescue team members commemorated the first anniversary of the rescue with a mass and a barbeque. The children’s grandmother expressed gratitude for their rescue but longed to be reunited with them.