A mother and her toddler who managed to survive a plane crash in Colombia have been found and rescued after spending four days in the jungle.
Marie Nelly Murillo, 18, and her 1-year-old son were the sole passengers on a small Cessna plane that crashed into trees near the city of Quibdo, the BBC reports. The pilot was killed, but rescuers believe that the pair were saved by the plane’s load of fish, which absorbed some of the impact to the cabin.
Murillo told rescuers she and the toddler survived by drinking coconut water. A local person found them on Tuesday, and a team of rescuers airlifted them to a hospital the next day, according to the Associated Press. They were found about 1,000 feet from the plane crash.
Murillo was treated for injuries and burns after their rescue on Wednesday, but her son was not injured. Colombian Air Force colonel Héctor Carrascal credits the boy’s survival to Murillo’s bravery, according to The Guardian.
“His mother’s spirit must have given him strength to survive,” he said.
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