Three helicopters with loudspeakers and a message from grandmother in the Huitoto language: this is how they rescued the children who fell in the jungle of Guaviare, Colombia

Colombia celebrates the miracle of saving alive the four children found in the middle of the Amazon jungle, in the region of Guaviare, 17 days after the plane crash who transported them. The operations had intensified in the last few hours, with the discovery of the remains of the aircraft. involved three helicoptersfinding key clues and even a message in a huitotothe language of the indigenous community to which they belong, propagated through speakers.

The Cessna 206 aircraft, registration HK 2803, which was carrying them together with three adults (including the pilot) declared a state of emergency for an engine failure. Since May 1, nothing was known on the fate of the building and its occupants.

On Monday, security forces found the plane with the three dead adults, in a rural area of ​​the Palma Rosa hamlet which is part of the municipality of Solano (Caquetá), 460 kilometers south of Bogotá and about 100 kilometers north of the tripoint. with Peru and Ecuador.

There were no tracks on the four minors, between 13 years and 11 months. Since then the expectations and concerns have grown.

Therefore, efforts to find the whereabouts of the children were intensified, works which it almost borders on the best Colombian literature. THE dangers of the jungle -heavy rains and lurking wild animals, as well as the death of the mother of the young- have accelerated the weather. They called it “Operation Hope”.

Finally, after an impressive operation with detailed and tender details, President Gustavo Petro confirmed the alive discovery of Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy (13 years old), Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy (9), Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy (4) and Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy (11 months).

Helicopters, loudspeakers and grandmother’s voice in the mother tongue

It all started on May 1st. After the emergency message and the aircraft (operated by the Avianline Charter company) failed to respond, the “search and rescue” operation began with a plane and a helicopter, as well as a group of personnel to operate on the ground.

They only knew that the latest signal came from a location 175 kilometers south of San José del Guaviare, on the Apaporis River.

In addition to the rainfall, the lush foliage and trees up to 40 meters tall made it difficult to see the ground.

It was this Monday, as the remnants of optimism began to wear thin, that the remains of the plane and the three adults appeared. It happened after “more than 370 working hours continuous”, according to the authorities. Among them, the mother of the boys. At first, they suspected that the child could be under one of the bodies, after find a bottle miles away. Luckily, the clue turned out to be false.

There were therefore no traces of the minors, which suggested that perhaps they had all fled together, pure fraternal instinct, in search of a refuge. The renewed illusions led to the appointment of “Operativo Esperanza”.

The number of personnel affected by the works has been increased: from Monday to this Wednesday more than 100 members of the Military Forces patrolled the area. They were accompanied by three trained search and track dogs. One of them found the end of the thread to reach the children.

The dog is called “Ulysses”. His sense of smell has accelerated the news of the operation in the last few hours, in a spiral of optimism that exploded with happiness for the location of the survivors. For that, however, there were still several hours to go.

Thanks to Ulysses, the Special Forces located a shelter “improvised with sticks and branches”the indicated authorities. There were also scissors and rubber bands to tie up your hair. THE leftover fruitthat the little survivors would have consumed, were further indications that breathed “encouragement and hope”.

Helicopters flew over the area. Since the view was not enough, they appealed to another sense: hearing. and also to the heart.

One of the helicopters was equipped with a special speaker“capable of covering an area of ​​about 1,500 meters”, a scene that escaped from the most magical pages of García Márquez.

At full power, they reproduced a recorded message from the children’s grandmother. In the Huitoto language, the woman exclaimed to her grandchildren that they are looking for them and questioned them don’t keep advancing through the jungle.

“Lesly, I’m asking you a favor, that one I’m your grandmother Fatima. You have to stand still because the Army is looking for you for your own good. Daughter, I thank you for being firm. If you hear the microphones, daughter, stand there so they can find you and take you,” the grandmother said in the audio, according to the newspaper. Time.

A message that, beyond its content, appealed to the heart and the most basic instincts, to make it an interpolation (the most “veteran” of the group of children lost in the jungle) but also the youngest who associated him with his grandmother’s hundreds of lullabies.

At that point, the operation already had the contribution of the special forces of the Military Forces, the Colombian Air Force (FAC), the Search and Rescue Service (SAR) of the Aerocivil, the Civil Defense, the Fire Brigade, the Colombian Red Cross and members of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (Opiac), essential for their knowledge of the territory.

This Wednesday at 16:47 (local time; 18:47 in Argentina), Gustavo Petro gave confirmation through his networks.

“After strenuous search efforts by our Military Forces, we have found alive the 4 children who disappeared in the Guaviare plane crash. A joy for the country”, wrote the Colombian president.

And in the midst of the tragedy, after terror, hope and grandmother’s prayers, Colombia was able to celebrate its little survivors.

DS