Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied Thursday (May 18th) on Twitter the rescue of four missing children in the Amazon jungle after the crash on May 1st of the small plane carrying them, indicating that the search continues.

"I decided to delete the tweet because the information provided (...) could not be confirmed. I regret what happened," he wrote, indicating that "military forces and indigenous communities will continue their search relentlessly." On Wednesday, he announced on Twitter that the children, aged 13, 9 and 4, as well as an 11-month-old baby, had been found.

He decidido borrar el trino debido a que la información entregada por el ICBF no ha podido ser confirmada. Lamento lo sucedido. Las Fuerzas Militares y las comunidades indígenas continuarán en su búsqueda incansable para darle al país la noticia que está esperando.

In este...

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) May 18, 2023

The aircraft, a Cessna 206, carrying seven passengers, disappeared from radar on May 1 in the vicinity of San José del Guaviare, in the south, where it was to go. The aircraft was found Monday vertically with its nose crushed to the ground in dense vegetation.

Three bodies were recovered by rescuers, those of the pilot, the children's mother and a leader of the Uitoto indigenous community, to which all the passengers belonged.

Discovery of personal effects

The hope of finding the children alive was fueled by the discovery in the jungle of personal belongings, as well as partially eaten fruit and a bottle. A "makeshift shelter made of sticks and branches" keeps rescuers hoping there is at least one survivor.

The jungle is very dense and dangerous in this particularly remote region, and the search is made difficult by the presence of wild animals, trees up to 40 meters high and heavy rains.

More than one hundred military personnel assisted by sniffer dogs are participating in the search with the help of members of Indigenous communities.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. According to civil protection, the pilot had reported problems with the aircraft's engine before it disappeared from radar.

With AFP

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