“They have recovered [in] size and weight,” Astrid Caceres, the director of Colombian Children Welfare Agency ICBF, said of the four kids
The four children who survived a plane crash earlier this year and kept themselves alive in the Amazon for weeks before being rescued have been released from the hospital.
The siblings — Lesly Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 13, Soleiny Jacobombaire Mucutuy, 9, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, 4, and Cristin Ranoque Mucutuy, 1 — survived a plane crash that killed their mother and one other passenger along with a pilot on May 1, according to Al Jazeera.
For the next 40 days, the children lived off of seeds, roots and plants in the forest that they knew were edible as over a hundred Colombian troops and Indigenous scouts searched for them in an operation dubbed “Operation Hope,” the outlet reported.
They were eventually found on June 9, and several indigenous leaders praised the siblings for their knowledge of the forest with helping them to survive, though they appeared to be in an emaciated state.
The kids were immediately transported to Colombia’s Military Hospital in Bogota, where they received treatment for 34 days before being released on Thursday night, according to CNN.
“They have recovered [in] size and weight. Really, they are very well,” Astrid Caceres, the director of Colombian Children Welfare Agency ICBF, said at a press conference on Friday, per Al Jazeera.
“Their physical health is perfect, and in the hospital, they started receiving care from a team of psychologists and anthropologists,” Caceres also said, according to CNN.
Following their release from the medical facility, the siblings remain under the care of the child welfare institute and are currently staying at a shelter facility as agencies begin the “second phase” of caring for the children, per the outlet.
“We’re entering a transitional phase for the protection of the children,” Caceres said.
During the search operation, troops found several clues of the children’s survival in the forest including footprints, a dirty diaper and a bottle, reported CNN.
The children’s maternal grandparents and the father of the two youngest siblings have requested legal custody over them, which will be decided in family court, the outlet said.
The ICBF noted that it is expected to make a case in front of the court to decide who will receive a “reinstatement of right” and gain legal custody over the siblings on Friday, per CNN.