Missing Colombian children found alive after plane crash in jungle

Four Colombian children who were missing for over a month after a deadly plane crash, were found alive on Friday. 

The children, who are between the ages of 11 months and 13 years old, were found after a 40-day search, according to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

The plane had crashed on May 1 after departing from Araracuara, a town in southern Colombia. The plane experienced an engine failure before eventually crashing, Fox News reports. 

There was a mother on the flight traveling with her four children. After an ongoing search that ended up lasting over a month, all four children were found alive by authorities. 

They were malnourished, but were given medical care immediately after being found. 

Their survival was credited to their being part of the indigenous group, Huitoto, whose familiarity with the jungle enabled them to identify edible fruits, according to the BBC.

"We have a 100% expectation of finding them alive," Gen. Pedro Sánchez, commander of the Joint Command of Special Operations said to The Associated Press.

"We found elements that are very complex to find in the jungle. For example, the lid of a baby bottle. If we’ve found that, why don’t we find the rest? Because the children are on the move," he continued.