Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Twitter on Thursday denied the rescue of four children missing in the Amazon jungle after a small plane carrying them crashed on May 1, saying search operations were continuing, AFP reported.

“I decided to delete the tweet because the information provided (…) could not be verified. I regret what happened,” he wrote, adding that “military forces and indigenous communities are continuing the search.”

On Wednesday, Colombia’s president announced on Twitter that four children, ages 13, 9 and 4, and an 11-month-old baby had been found.

A Cessna 206 with seven passengers disappeared from radar on May 1 in the area of ​​the city of San Jose del Guaviare (south), where it was supposed to arrive. The machine was found upright on Monday, with the front side pressed against the ground in thick vegetation.

Rescue teams found three bodies: the pilot, the children’s mother and the chief of the Uitoto indigenous community, among whom were all the passengers.

The hope of finding the children alive was fueled by the discovery of some personal belongings in the jungle, as well as partially eaten fruit and a baby bottle. A “makeshift shelter of sticks and branches” gives rescuers hope that at least one survivor has survived.

In this extremely isolated region, the jungle is very dense and dangerous, with wild animals, trees up to 40 meters high and torrential rain making the search difficult.

More than a hundred military personnel with dogs and representatives of local communities are participating in the search.

The causes of the accident have not yet been established. According to Colombia’s civil defense, the pilot reported problems with the plane’s engine before the plane disappeared from radar. (Agerpress)