Four children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a horror plane crash have been reunited with their family.
Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, four, and 12-month-old baby Cristin, survived the accident that killed their mum and the pilots in a remote part of Colombia.
But they have now held an emotional reunion with their relatives as they recover in hospital.
Their grandfather Fidencio Valencia said they’re “very weak” but “happy to see their family”.
The children, who are from the Huitoto indigenous group, had been wandering alone in the jungle since May 1, when their Cessna 206 crashed.
The bodies of the pilot, the children’s mother and a local indigenous leader were all found at the crash site, where the aircraft sat almost vertical in the trees.
The aircraft reported engine problems only minutes after taking off from a jungle area known as Araracuara on the 217-mile journey to San Jose del Guaviare.
Brave Lesly used hair ties to build camps as she kept her younger brothers alive. Her family revealed how a survival game they played helped them stay alive.
They revealed she had developed a knowledge of which fruit were safe to eat. The children’s grandmother, Fatima Valencia, explained Lesly was used to looking after them when mum was at work.
She added: “She gave them flour and cassava bread, any fruit in the bush, they know what they must consume.”
Astrid Cáceres, the director of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, said two of the children had been playing.
She said: “They still talk very little and are weak, but they want to play.”
The children have some bites and skin lesions and are receiving nutritional and psychological support. Tests have ruled out life-threatening conditions.
They will be hospitalized for up to three weeks at the Central Military Hospital in capital Bogota, 280 miles from the search site.
Yesterday images emerged of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, visited the youngsters with First Lady Veronica Alcocer and his daughter Sofia Petro. He said their rescue was “a joy for the whole country”.
Yesterday it emerged a search dog - six-year-old Belgian Shepherd Wilson - was still missing after he bolted from his handlers during the operation,
Rescue teams found his footprints near those of the children and he is thought to have stayed with the children for several days before being lost once again.
