Relatives Want Custody of 4 Who Survived Plane Crash in Amazon
2023-06-14
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1Four native children survived a plane crash and 40 days alone in the Amazon rainforest in Colombia.
2Now, a custody battle has started among their family members.
3The children are siblings, or brothers and sisters.
4They range in age from 1 to 13.
5They remained hospitalized Monday and are expected to stay there for several more days.
6During that time, Colombia's child protection agency is speaking to family members to decide who should care for them after their mother died in the crash on May 1.
7Astrid Cáceres is head of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare.
8She said in a radio discussion that a caseworker was assigned to the children at the request of their mother's parents.
9The grandparents are competing for custody with the father of the two youngest children.
10Cáceres added that it was be possible that the children and their mother experienced abuse.
11"The most important thing at this moment is the children's health, which is not only physical but also emotional," she said.
12On Sunday, grandfather Narciso Mucutuy accused Manuel Ranoque of beating his daughter, Magdalena Mucuty.
13Ranoque is the father of the two youngest children.
14Mucutuy told reporters that the children would hide in the forest when Ranoque and his daughter fought.
15Ranoque told reporters that there had been trouble at home.
16But he called it as a private family concern and not "gossip for the world."
17When asked whether he had attacked his wife, Ranoque said: "Verbally, sometimes, yes. Physically, very little. We had more verbal fights."
18Ranoque said he has not been permitted to see the two oldest children at the hospital.
19Cáceres did not provide a comment on why Ranoque could not see them.
20On May 1, the children were traveling by plane with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to the town of San Jose del Guaviare.
21The plane's engine failed.
22It fell off radar a short time later.
23A search then began for the three adults and four children who were on the plane.
24For more than a month, the children survived by eating cassava flour and seeds as well as some fruits they found in the rainforest.
25The children are members of the Huitoto Indigenous group.
26The siblings were finally found Friday, 40 days after the crash.
27They were flown to the capital, Bogota.
28Then they arrived at a military hospital, where they have received mental health services and other support.
29As they recover, the children have spoken with family members about their time in the jungle.
30The oldest, Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, said their mother was alive for about four days after the crash before dying, Ranoque said.
31The plane was found two weeks after the crash in a thick area of rainforest.
32The bodies of the three adults were recovered, but there was no sign of the children.
33That led people to hope that they were still alive.
34Soldiers in helicopters dropped boxes of food into the jungle.
35Planes fired off flares at night to light up the ground for search teams.
36Rescuers also used speakers to send a message recorded by the children's grandmother telling them to stay in one place.
37The children were finally found last Friday about five kilometers from the crash in a small opening in the jungle.
38General Pedro Sanchez led the search effort as chief of the military's Special Operations Command.
39Relatives and officials have praised Lesly for guiding her younger siblings through the 40 days in the jungle.
40The youngest child turned 1 while they were missing.
41I'm Caty Weaver.
1Four native children survived a plane crash and 40 days alone in the Amazon rainforest in Colombia. Now, a custody battle has started among their family members. 2The children are siblings, or brothers and sisters. They range in age from 1 to 13. They remained hospitalized Monday and are expected to stay there for several more days. During that time, Colombia's child protection agency is speaking to family members to decide who should care for them after their mother died in the crash on May 1. 3Astrid Cáceres is head of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare. She said in a radio discussion that a caseworker was assigned to the children at the request of their mother's parents. The grandparents are competing for custody with the father of the two youngest children. 4Cáceres added that it was be possible that the children and their mother experienced abuse. "The most important thing at this moment is the children's health, which is not only physical but also emotional," she said. 5On Sunday, grandfather Narciso Mucutuy accused Manuel Ranoque of beating his daughter, Magdalena Mucuty. Ranoque is the father of the two youngest children. 6Mucutuy told reporters that the children would hide in the forest when Ranoque and his daughter fought. 7Ranoque told reporters that there had been trouble at home. But he called it as a private family concern and not "gossip for the world." 8When asked whether he had attacked his wife, Ranoque said: "Verbally, sometimes, yes. Physically, very little. We had more verbal fights." 9Ranoque said he has not been permitted to see the two oldest children at the hospital. Cáceres did not provide a comment on why Ranoque could not see them. 10On May 1, the children were traveling by plane with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to the town of San Jose del Guaviare. The plane's engine failed. It fell off radar a short time later. A search then began for the three adults and four children who were on the plane. 11For more than a month, the children survived by eating cassava flour and seeds as well as some fruits they found in the rainforest. The children are members of the Huitoto Indigenous group. 12The siblings were finally found Friday, 40 days after the crash. They were flown to the capital, Bogota. Then they arrived at a military hospital, where they have received mental health services and other support. 13As they recover, the children have spoken with family members about their time in the jungle. The oldest, Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, said their mother was alive for about four days after the crash before dying, Ranoque said. 14The plane was found two weeks after the crash in a thick area of rainforest. The bodies of the three adults were recovered, but there was no sign of the children. That led people to hope that they were still alive. 15Soldiers in helicopters dropped boxes of food into the jungle. Planes fired off flares at night to light up the ground for search teams. Rescuers also used speakers to send a message recorded by the children's grandmother telling them to stay in one place. 16The children were finally found last Friday about five kilometers from the crash in a small opening in the jungle. General Pedro Sanchez led the search effort as chief of the military's Special Operations Command. 17Relatives and officials have praised Lesly for guiding her younger siblings through the 40 days in the jungle. The youngest child turned 1 while they were missing. 18I'm Caty Weaver. 19Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 20_______________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22custody - n. the legal right to take care of a child 23gossip - n. information about the behavior and personal lives of other people 24radar - n. a device that sends out radio waves for finding out the position and speed of a moving object 25indigenous - adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment 26flare - n. a light that shines brightly and briefly 27relative - n. a member of your family