The father of the children who survived 40 days in the Colombian rainforest after a small plane crash has been arrested, according to media reports. It is about the allegation of sexual harassment, reported Colombian media such as the newspaper “El Tiempo” and the broadcaster Caracol on Friday (local time). It was initially unclear exactly what the man, who is the biological father of the two youngest of the four children and stepfather of the older two, is accused of. The media had already reported on various allegations against him at the end of June.
The family welfare authority of the South American country (ICBF) had reportedly denied the man access to the children a good two weeks ago. ICBF boss Astrid Cáceres told journalists that she had heard the news of the arrest. She called for respect for the protection of children.
Search parties found the children in early June after 40 days in the rainforest. They had crashed in the wilderness on May 1st with a propeller plane. They had been with their mother on their way to their father, who said he was fleeing threats from an armed criminal group. As a result of the crash, the children’s mother died, as well as the pilot and an indigenous leader.
The children then had to fend for themselves in the jungle. The siblings – a boy and three girls, aged 1 to 13 at the time – belong to an indigenous community. Their knowledge of the region may have helped them survive in the jungle. They subsisted on wild passion fruit and mangoes, as well as food packages dropped by the military.
