Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Twitter on June 10 that four indigenous children had been found alive, more than a month after being lost in the Amazon rainforest following a plane crash.

"A joy for the whole country! Four children who went missing 40 days ago in the Colombian jungle have been found alive," Petro wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Petro posted a photo of several adults, some in military uniforms, caring for children sitting on tarps in the middle of a dense forest.

Twitter President Gustavo Petro

The children were aged 13, 9, 4 and 1. The children's grandfather, Fiencio Valencia, confirmed that his grandchildren had been found. "Yes, they have been found, but I need a flight or a helicopter to come and pick them up urgently," Valencia told AFP.

The children, who belong to the Huitoto indigenous community, have been living in the jungle since May 1, when a small Cessna 206 plane carrying them crashed. The bodies of three adults traveling with them, including their mother, the pilot and a relative, were found by the military at the crash site.

At one point, the rescue team believed they were close to the boys, but eventually lost sight of them due to bad weather and dense jungle. The search area is believed to be home to predators such as leopards and snakes, as well as armed drug gangs.

President Gustavo Petro announced on May 17 that four children had been found, but the next day he retracted the statement and apologized for the inaccurate information.