Colombia president retracts claim children found alive after plane crash in Amazon
- Fate of four children missing after a May 1 plane crash in the Amazon was unclear
- Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro deleted a tweet saying they had been found alive
Writing on Twitter, Petro said he had deleted his tweet from Wednesday night in which he had announced the rescue of the four children, including an 11-month-old baby.
“I am sorry for what happened. The military forces and Indigenous communities will continue in their tireless search to give the country the news it is waiting for,” he said on Thursday.
More than 100 soldiers have been deployed with sniffer dogs to search for the minors who were travelling in an aeroplane that crashed on May 1, leaving three adults including the pilot and the children’s mother dead.
Rescuers believe the children – who in addition to the 11-month-old include a 13, nine and four-year-old – have been wandering through the jungle in the southern Caqueta department since the crash.
“At this time there is no other priority other than progressing with the search until finding them,” added Petro. “The children’s lives are the most important thing.”