"Joy for the whole country!" Four children who disappeared and were lost in the Colombian jungle have been found alive," Petro announced via Twitter.

The Cessna 206 small plane was carrying seven people en route between Aracuara, Amazonas state, and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare state, but reported an engine failure alarm in the early hours of May 1.

The three adults, including the pilot, died as a result of the crash, and their bodies were found in the plane. Four children aged 13, 9 and 4 survived the fall, as well as an 11-month-old baby.

Initial information from the Civil Aviation Authority, which coordinated the rescue effort, suggested the children escaped the plane and headed into the rainforest to seek help.

Rescue teams, with the support of sniffer dogs, had earlier found discarded fruit, which the children had allegedly eaten, and makeshift shelters made from jungle vegetation.

Airplanes and helicopters of the Colombian army and air force participated in the rescue operations