Columbia plane crash: Father of 2 kids lost for 40 days in Amazon jungle arrested

Colombian authorities have confirmed that the father of two of the four Indigenous children who survived a plane crash,then survived 40 days on their own in the Amazon jungle, has been arrested. It has been confirmed by the Colombian prosecutor’s office that officials arrested Manuel Ranoque, who is the father of the one and four-year-old boys in the crash and the stepfather of the two girls, aged nine and 13.

The statement gave no details on the reason for the arrest, but media reports said the case involved allegations of domestic abuse. Astrid Eliana Caceres, director of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, said the state agency had been working with the authorities.

“We learned of the capture of the father of two Mucutuy minor children and we believe that the prosecutor’s office has operated within the full framework of the law,” she said.

The mother of the children and two pilots were killed when their aircraft crashed in the jungle on May 1. The Cessna 206 aircraft was flying from Araracuara, in Amazonas province, to San José del Guaviare, when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure. A huge rescue operation involving dozens of soldiers and local people was issued to find the missing children after they escaped the wreckage to find help.

Since the children were found in June, Ranoque has been embroiled in a fight for custody of the children with their maternal grandparents. The four siblings have remained in the custody of Colombia’s child protection agency since leaving hospital after recovering from malnutrition and other ailments.

Their maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, has accused Ranoque of beating their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy. Before authorities confirmed his arrest, Ranoque acknowledged to reporters that there had been problems at home, but he said he considered it a private family matter and not “gossip” for the rest of the world.

When asked if he had assaulted his wife, Ranoque replied: “Verbally all of a sudden, yes. Physically, very little.”