Colombian Children Lost In The Amazon Jungle Rescued After 40 Days
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
In what can only be described as a miracle, four children from an indigenous community in Colombia were rescued after being stranded in the Amazon rainforest for 40 days. On May 1, 2023, 13-year-old Lesly, nine-year-old Soleiny, four-year-old Tien Norie and 11-month old Cristin, were flying with their mother to the town of San José del Guaviare. Midway through the journey, their small airplane suffered an engine failure and crashed in a remote part of the Colombian Amazon jungle.
Due to bad weather, the Colombian army could not get to the crash site until May 16, 2023. When they arrived, they found the bodies of the mother, the pilot, and another adult. However, the four children were missing. The only clues of their presence were a baby bottle, some small shoes, and tiny footprints near the wreckage.
The kids, who belong to the Huitoto tribe, had been taught the skills to survive in the jungle. This gave the rescue team, comprising 150 military personnel and members of local indigenous groups, hope that the four may still be alive.
On June 9, 2023, 40 days after the plane crashed, an indigenous rescue team finally found the children. They were huddled together just three miles (4.8 km) away from the crash site. It was later discovered that Colombian soldiers had come close to the children several times. But the kids, scared by their presence, had hid each time they heard them.
Officials credit the kids' survival to Lesly. The resourceful 13-year-old used her extensive knowledge of the jungle to seek out edible fruits to feed her siblings. She fed her 11-month-old sister a mixture of water and cassava flour they had brought on the plane. The kids also found a box of food air-dropped by the army. At night, the four sought refuge under a mosquito net and plastic tarp retrieved from the plane.
Though still frail and shaken from the ordeal, all four children are expected to fully recover. Not surprisingly, their remarkable tale of survival has attracted global interest and made them national celebrities in Colombia.
Resources: Guardian.com, NPR.com, CNN.com, NBCnews.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
100 Comments
cecilia06026 monthsCool.- gyfytaca-16971560157311 monthswow that was a sad story
- tyvipyla-16971560157711 monthsThe poor mom and how did those kids survive 40 days that is amazing that is more than a month its good that they are safe now.
lovehistoyabout 1 yearI am glad that there safen😁😁😁
bookworm789about 1 yearwow- vujenegyreheabout 1 yearThat is like, more than 32 days.
- shalabyabout 1 yearThis is a crazy story of a survival. A miracle.
julia12345chickabout 1 yearHow did they survive 40 days!!!!!!!!! No food, No water. 4o days is 5 weeks and 5 days that is more than a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kr_jiohabout 1 yearOMG they must've been scary
quinnithesharkover 1 yearsup bro
