BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – A woman who survived a plane crash with her months-old baby, drinking water to stay alive, was finally rescued after four days lost in the jungle, Colombia’s air force and rescuers said.
Maria Nelly Murillo and her child were aboard a twin-engine Cessna that crashed Saturday in a remote area of western Colombia shortly taking flight from the city of Quibdo, the air force said.
The pilot was killed, but rescuers said a heavy load of fresh fish in the cabin absorbed much of the crash impact, allowing Murillo and her son to survive against the odds.
She forced open the cabin door and climbed a hill to get away from the air craft, which she feared might explode, the air force reported.
Apparently disoriented, she wandered in the jungle carrying her child, surviving on coconut water and trying unsuccessfully to trap rodents for food, said Acisclo Renteria, the Red Cross volunteer who eventually found her, speaking to The Associated Press from Quibdo.