One year after the accident of a Cessna plane in the jungle, from which the four Mucutuy brothers survivedthe Civil Aeronautics provided new details about the accident and how the minors survived about 40 days, waiting for the authorities to find them.
The accident occurred on May 1, 2023 in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Solano, in Caquetá. The aircraft had a “repeated loss of power plant power,” which forced the pilot to attempt an emergency landing.
The maneuver caused the plane to end up on the trees and fall vertically. Because of the impact, Magdalena Mucutuy, mother of the children, the pilot Hernando Murcia and the indigenous leader Herman Mendoza, died.
This is how the plane remained after the accident, from which the Mucutuy brothers survived.
Photo:Civil Aviation
The oldest girl, 14 years old, was the one who helped her brothers when she regained consciousness after the impact. She heard them crying.
“When he got back up, he noticed that he was bleeding in large quantities as a result of the open wound on his head. To stop the bleeding and prevent insects from landing on the wound, he improvised a bandage with some articles of clothing that were inside. of the aircraft, and with the gauze that was found in the aircraft’s first aid kit,” Aeronautics noted in its report.
She helped her brothers out of the crashed plane. They spent two days and two nights at the accident site, during which time they ate the copoazú fruits and water they found on the aircraft.
Two of the girls being rescued.
Photo:National Army
This is how the Mucutuy brothers survived in the jungle
From the eldest sister’s story, It was learned that they were walking through the jungle area, following the instructions that their mother had given them about the edible seeds they could find.
As Aeronautics learned, it was not the first time that the girl was in the jungle, since she had explored these environments before with her family.
She made the decision to head with the children in the direction of the Apaporis River to look for other food and water. She did it for 20 days, moving on her knees and leaning on her hip due to another injury she had suffered in her leg. When she was able to walk, she did not have her left shoe, so she walked the grounds wearing only her socks.
Plane crash in the jungle.
Photo:National Army
The children ate what they managed to catch from the river, thanks to an improvised spear that the oldest girl made. In addition, they ate the seeds they found in their path.
Days later, without having planned it, they returned to the accident site and stocked up on clothing. Then, they continued their course trying to find a town.
“On some occasions, the survivors heard the loudspeakers and recordings in the native indigenous language of a relative’s voice, in which he provided them with some indications related to their search. However, they stated that it was impossible for them to get close enough in the direction of the victims. sounds, without knowing if their march was really directing them to that objective,” the authority said.
Likewise, they heard voices, apparently, of Army personnel and indigenous communities who were looking for them.. However, thinking that they could be predatory animals whose sounds they could confuse with human beings, they avoided approaching them.
Crash site.
Photo:National Army
And Wilson the dog?
“The Interviewed Survivor indicated that the sound of the aircraft flying over the surrounding areas was perceptible to them, between days ten and fifteen, counting from the day of the accident. However, she stated, due to the thick foliage of the surrounding vegetation, It was not possible to see the search aircraft, thus preventing visual contact and making any signal towards them,” the authority’s report reads.
The minor also revealed that during the 39 days they saw different animals such as tapirs, snakes, and a large turtle. Although there were Army dogs in the area participating in the search, such as one named Wilson, they had no contact with the children.
“According to his story, there was no encounter with other people during
his journey; and they also did not have contact with any canine,” stated the Aeronautics.
Wilson, a dog that disappeared in the search for the Mucutuy brothers.
Photo:Twitter @FuerzasMilCol
On the 30th day of being lost, the children found a flyer that the Search staff had dropped, asking them to stay in one place.. They did so until they were found nine days later.
News in development, expect expansion soon…
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