Four indigenous children are doing 'very well' after surviving 40 days in the Colombian Amazon, authorities said on Friday as they were released from a military hospital.
Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, nine and one-year-old baby Cristin were the only survivors after the small plane they were flying in crashed in the jungle in June.
All three adults on board, including their mother, died. The eldest sister has been credited with keeping her siblings alive throughout the ordeal.
The four were discharged from the Bogota hospital on Thursday night, said the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, which will temporarily take custody of the children for six months until a permanent decision is taken on their care.
"They have recovered size and weight, really they are very well," said Astrid Caceres, the director of the institute. "The second phase of caring and protecting them begins.
"We're entering a transitional phase for the protection of the children."
The children show no physical effects from the 40 days they spent wandering the Amazon, she said, and even little Cristin is "completely recovered in terms of physical development".
The children appeared emaciated in photos taken shortly after they were found, and in the hospital they were given food typical of the Huitoto Indigenous group to which they belong, such as cassava flour.
Relatives say the children managed to survive thanks to Lesly's deep knowledge of survival in the jungle, with its many dangers - including snakes, predatory animals and armed criminal groups.
It took nearly 200 military and indigenous rescuers with search dogs to track them down.
After their rescue a custody battle ensued between the maternal grandparents and the father of the two younger children.
The siblings will live with other children in a shelter. Ms Caceres said the children will be in a rural area where they will feel "comfortable".
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Tonight's Chat on The National
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Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
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