The mother of four children who were rescued on Friday after spending 40 days in the Colombian jungle told her children to leave and find help as she lay dying, it has been revealed.
Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, 33, a wife and mother to all four children who survived, was alive for four days in the jungle following a plane crash which also claimed the life of two other adults, including the pilot. She eventually succumbed to her injuries after heroically urging her children to save themselves, according to her husband.
On Friday, Mucutuy Valencia’s three daughters, aged 13, nine and one, along with her five-year-old son, were found wandering alone in the Amazon rainforest a full six weeks after the plane crash. The children had been on board the Cessna 206 light aircraft with their mother when it crashed in the jungle on 1 May while flying between Araracuara Airport in Caqueta and San Jose del Guaviare.
The children, who are members of the Huitoto indigenous group, are believed to have eaten cassava flour and seeds during the ordeal. Relatives and authorities also say that the children’s familiarity with the rainforest’s fruits was crucial to their survival. Following the discovery of the children, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, hailed the residue as “a joy for the whole country”.
The deceased woman’s widower, Manual Ranoque, who is the father of the two youngest children, said that his eldest child told him that their mother was alive for about four days after the plane crashed. Addressing reporters outside the hospital where the child survivors were treated, Mr Ranoque said that prior to her death, their mother would likely have told all four children to “go away” – seemingly asking her children to leave the wreckage site in order to survive as she herself lost her battle to stay alive.
Speaking to the press, Mr Ranoque said: “My daughter has told me that their mother was alive for four days.
“Let’s be clear, the girl (Lesly) knows everything,” he added.
“The only thing that she clarified is that their mother was alive for four days. Before she died […] she told them, ‘Go!’ And ‘You will find out what your dad is made of… and what your father’s love is like’.”
#OperacionEsperanza | Manuel Ranoque, padre de los menores asegura que Magdalena Mucutuy, la mamá se encontraba viva al momento del accidente y duró con vida 4 días.
Los detalles en #CityNoticiasFDS a las 12 M. Con @RafaelDavidNC y @Nia_Maldonadoo pic.twitter.com/zWFPzUlrOH
— CityNoticias (@CityNoticiasTv) June 11, 2023
The Cassana aircraft had issued a mayday alert due to engine failure, and the bodies of the three adults, including Mucutuy Valencia were found inside the plane a fortnight after the crash – with the four children nowhere to be seen.
One indigenous man, who helped in the rescue effort, told reporters that the children had two small bags containing clothes, a towel, two mobile phones, a soda bottle, a music box, and a torch, when they were found. According to their uncle, who spoke to the press after the rescue, the children hid in tree trunks in order to protect themselves from snakes, animals and mosquitoes, in the vast jungle area.
After being rescued, the four siblings were flown in a helicopter to Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, and then to a military hospital where they were met by relatives, the nation’s president, and government and relatives on Saturday.
The children, aged one to 13, are already opening up about their ordeal in the jungle, and are set to remain in hospital for at least two weeks following the rescue which took place in the Caquets province.
The children’s uncle, Mr Valencia, gave an update to the press on Saturday – saying that the children were already eating a little, following efforts to rehydrate them so they could consume food again.