Air travel

Colombia: 4 Children Possibly Found Alive After Plane Crash

Published MAY 18 2023

Story

Image credit: Reuters

The Facts

On Wednesday, Colombian Pres. Gustavo Petro made a statement that four children had been found alive more than two weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed into the dense jungle of the Caqueta province.
New York Post
The plane — a Cessna 206 — with seven passengers on board was traveling between Araracuara and San Jose del Guaviare on May 1 when it issued a "mayday" alert due to engine failure.
Reuters
While three adults, including the pilot, died, authorities believe the four children, aged 13, 9, 4, and 11 months old, survived the crash and ventured into the rainforest to find help.
Guardian
The children were rescued by members of the military, firefighters, and civil aviation authority officials, with preliminary information revealing they survived on fruits and built shelters using sticks and branches.
Dw.Com
Though Petro claimed the missing children had been located alive after an "arduous search" involving more than 100 soldiers, defense ministry sources contradicted the claim saying they had no confirmation the children had been found. Indigenous radio stations reported that the children had been found by a local member of the population.
BBC News
Late last night, the military said the children were not in their custody, and their whereabouts remained unknown to officials, adding that the president had been "misinformed."
Daily Mail

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The forest in Caqueta is home to wild animals, prone to heavy rainfall, filled with about 40-meter-tall trees, and challenging to access by road or river. With conditions in the dense forest considered dangerous, believing four young children could survive for 17 days is sadly difficult.

Daily Mail

Narrative B

Even if there is no information on where the children had been rescued or how they survived alone in the treacherous forest for weeks, the fact that they are likely all alive based on multiple data points and being transported by boat downriver is a cause for celebration.