Four Colombian children have survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crashed last month.

The four Indigenous children were the only survivors of the plane crash that killed their mother, the pilot and an Indigenous leader on May 1.

They were found by rescuers on Friday in a jungle region of the southern Guaviare department, close to where the small plane had crashed.

The plane was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara airport in Caqueta province and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, when it issued a Mayday alert due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1.

The children were transferred to a Bogota hospital on Saturday morning and reunited with their father and grandfather in the department's capital city of San Jose del Guaviare before being taken to the hospital.

"Their learning from Indigenous families and their learning of living in the jungle has saved them," Colombian President Gustavo Petro told reporters on Friday.

Petro initially reported that children had been found on May 17 in a message on Twitter but later deleted the post, saying the information was unconfirmed.

Pedro Sanchez, commander of the military's joint command for special operations, hailed the tireless efforts of the rescuers and the Murui Indigenous people, saying they risked their lives to find the minors.

Though satellites and flyovers were used to locate the survivors, the thick jungle canopy was difficult to penetrate, said Sanchez, adding that clues were found with the help of specialized canines and local Indigenous people.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Rescuers at the site where they find four children survivors of a plane crash one month ago in a jungle region of the southern Guaviare department in Colombia, June 9, 2023. /Military Forces of Colombia)