On May 1, 2023, a small aircraft crashed in the dense Amazon rainforest between Colombia’s Caquetá and Guaviare regions. There were seven people on board, including four children from the same family. Although three adults died in the crash, the four children miraculously survived.
The eldest was 13-year-old Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy. With her were her nine-year-old sister, Soleiny; her four-year-old brother, Tien; and little Cristin, who was just 11 months old.
Their mother initially survived the crash. However, according to information provided by family members, she died four days later.
That was when Lesly’s extraordinary struggle began.
At just 13, she had to take responsibility for caring for her three much younger siblings. Cassava flour, known locally as fariña, which they found among the aircraft wreckage, became one of their main sources of food. Later, they also ate some seeds and familiar wild fruits.
To feed little Cristin, Lesly used the tip of a leaf to give her small amounts of food mixed with water. During their difficult struggle to survive, Cristin celebrated her first birthday deep in the jungle.
A massive search-and-rescue operation was launched to find the children. Dense vegetation, harsh weather, the vast search area, and limited visibility made the operation extremely challenging. Alongside members of the Colombian military, people from local Indigenous communities also joined the search.
Calling out to the children was not enough, so the rescuers adopted another strategy.
They recorded the voice of the children’s grandmother, Fátima Valencia. She delivered messages in Spanish and in the Huitoto language, which was familiar to the children. The recordings were broadcast over the rainforest using helicopters and loudspeakers.
The central message was:
“Lesly, it’s your grandmother. I have a request for you. Stay calm and remain where you are. We are looking for you.”
Finally, on June 9, 40 days after the plane crash, all four children were found alive. They were approximately two and a half miles from the crash site.
By the time they were rescued, the children were extremely weak, hungry, and suffering from malnutrition. They were subsequently taken by air to a military hospital in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, where they received medical treatment and care.
The courage, sense of responsibility, and knowledge of the jungle environment demonstrated by 13-year-old Lesly helped her and her siblings survive this extraordinary ordeal. However, their survival was not solely the result of her efforts. Their family upbringing, Indigenous knowledge, and the combined efforts of the rescue teams also played crucial roles.
The remarkable story of these four children surviving 40 days deep in the Amazon rainforest reminds us that courage, responsibility, knowledge, and the determination never to give up can sometimes make the seemingly impossible possible.
(Collected from the Facebook page “Itihasher Golpo” )
Translated by: FB Stories Team
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