Kids survived in Columbian jungle thanks to grandmother

The children who miraculously survived 40 days alone in dense Colombian jungle relied on survival techniques taught to them by their indigenous grandmother, according to a native elder in the region.

“They were raised by their grandmother,” said John Moreno, a leader of the Guanano group in Vaupes, in the southeastern part of Colombia where the children grew up. “They used what they learned in the community, relied on their ancestral knowledge in order to survive.” 

The four siblings, including an 11-month old baby, were found alive and well in the Colombian jungle 40 days after the plane in which they were traveling crashed.

The children were found by one of the rescue dogs working with the Colombian army, which has been searching for them since the May 1 crash.

“I want to hug them,” said Maria Fatima Valencia, the grandmother, upon hearing that the children were alive and well Friday. “My heart sighs.”

Military rescuers had recorded Valencia reassuring the children that they would be all right if they remained in one place until rescuers arrived.

The recordings were played on loud speakers in different parts of the rainforest during the month-long rescue operation, according to reports.

The children — ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months — are members of the Huitoto people who had been traveling with their mother from the remote Amazonian village of Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare when their Cessna single-engine plane crashed into the jungle.

Their mother, the pilot and an indigenous leader who was traveling with the group were all found dead in the wreckage on May 16.

The children are at a military hospital in the Colombian capital, Bogota, according to reports.