How 4 Children Survived 40 Days in the Jungle Amidst Snakes, Jaguars, Mosquitoes, and Sweltering Heat

The miraculous story of the four children involved in a plane crash over the Colombian Amazon rainforest who survived for 40 days on their own continues to leave the world in awe. On May 1, the children, aged 13, nine, five, and one, boarded a Cessna 206 aircraft with their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, an Indigenous leader. Shortly after takeoff, the plane experienced engine troubles and disappeared out of the sky.

Over a month later, a rescue team located the children in the jungle, learning their mother, a family friend, and the pilot died soon after the crash. This week, more details were revealed about the kids managed to survive without any adult guidance. 

After crashing into the undergrowth, it is believed that the pilot and family friend died instantly. According to reports, Mucutuy, 33, was seriously injured but still alive. The children's father, Manuel Ranoque, revealed she told her children to leave her behind so they could survive. 

One of the reasons Luis Acosta, national coordinator of the Indigenous Guard, believes they managed to survive is because they learned resilience at a young age. "From the age of 13, we assume adult roles," he told reporters.

"We have to, in the territory. In life, we have to do it this way." Narciso Mucutuy added to the Telegraph: "My granddaughter is brave and intelligent. She knows the jungle – we, as Indigenous people, know the jungle. She knew she had to get her siblings to safety."

Lesly, being the oldest, led the children in their survival efforts. They salvaged food from the plane: a bag of cassava flour and some canned food. Eventually, they left the crash site, searching for more food. "They survived on berries, on fruit," said Mucutuy. "Lesly knew what was safe to eat and what was poisonous. It's in our blood. But we teach them this from a very young age. She rationed the milk for the little one. When the milk ran out, she replaced it with water.

The children cried. They were cold, they were hungry, and they were in shock. The eldest tore some of the fabric from the clothes of their mum. They used it to wrap themselves up… and I think to be close to her."

Eventually, they settled in a spot. "They were exhausted. The eldest was weak. She was concerned. She was losing her memory and seeing things. They just couldn't walk anymore. They thought they were going to die. They prepared to die. But thankfully, that's when they were found."

Meanwhile, a rescue team of 70 were searching for them. They trekked through the jungle of snakes, jaguars, and mosquitos amidst sweltering heat and 100 percent humidity.

The rescue team also relied on Wilson, a six-year-old Belgian shepherd, to guide them. They found the plane on May 16, discovering dead bodies but not the children. General Pedro Sanchez, commander of Operation Hope, said, "The jungle is arduous. Trees can grow 100 feet or taller, blocking light and making it hard to see. Visibility is never more than 20 meters, so it was really hard. It is so easy to get lost and lose a trail."

"Some did not eat animals for 40 days as an offering to the forest," Flavio Yepes, a member of the Sikuani community, told The Guardian. "Not even a snake until the kids appeared." According to reports, on June 8, some of the rescuers took yagé, and that is when they caught a major breakthrough. "Some people become anacondas during these ceremonies, some tigers, others large birds," Yepes said.

"I don't know what animals the Murui transformed into that night, but it is what brought them to circle back towards the crash site, where they found the kids. If it weren't for our ancestral understanding of the forest – its medicinal properties, its life and its spirits – we would not have found the kids when we did," Acosta said.

On June 9, Wilson picked up the scent, and they discovered the children alive but dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from insect bites. "Miracle! Miracle! Miracle!" they radioed in the discovery. "I'm hungry," said Lesly as she ran towards Nicolas Ordonez Gomes, one of the rescue workers. "My mother is dead," said one of the boys.

"I felt an overwhelming peace – peace we had found them, and peace that we hadn't failed them," says Sanchez. "But I also felt such happiness – it consumed me. I haven't stopped smiling since."

The children were flown via helicopter to a hospital in Bogotá. The Mucurtys are seeking custody of the children. However, Wilson has vanished into the jungle. After spending six weeks searching for the kids, they are now looking for the rescue dog.

"Wilson [the dog] is part of our family," says Sanchez. "Some of my men owe him his life as a result of previous operations, we won't turn our backs on him. We never leave a man behind so we are still looking for him."