"MaydayAn internationally-recognised distress signal. It is a corruption of the French "venez m'aider", meaning "come and help me"., Mayday, 2803, 2803... I'm going to look for a river... here I have a river to the right..." These were the last words heard from the pilot of the small plane as it flew across dense jungle. Moments later it disappeared from air traffic control's radar.

The passengers were six members of the indigenousEthnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA. Huitoto community. They included four children: Lesly, aged 13; Soleiny, aged 9; Tien, aged 4; and Cristin, aged 11 months.

Two weeks after the plane crashed, its wreckage was found in the jungle. In it were the bodies of the three adults - but there was no sign of the children. A huge search began.

After a few days, the searchers found clues that the children were alive. They included a baby's bottle, half-eaten fruit - and a footprint.

Finally, on Friday, the children were found by an army sniffer dog. They were suffering from insect bites and lack of food and water, but were otherwise unharmed.

The soldiers sent out the message "Miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle" - a codeword. Used four times, it meant that all four children were safe.

Learning to survive in the jungle was part of their upbringing. Huitoto children are taught about hunting, fishing and gathering food from an early age.

The family also played a "survival  game", according to the children's aunt:

"When we played, we set up like little camps," she said. Lesly "knew what fruits she can't eat because there are many poisonous fruits in the forest. And she knew how to take care of a baby."

To begin with, the children survived on flour salvaged from the plane's wreckage. Then they ate fruit. According to one expert, they were lucky that it was the time of year when "the jungle was in harvest."

To protect themselves from heavy rain, they made shelters by tying branches together with hair ties. 

Yes:  You never know when you might need them. Most children without a Huitoto upbringing would not have survived in the jungle for more than a few days. Even the most basic lessons could be life-saving.  

No: The chances of finding yourself in the same situation are so small that it would be a waste of time. It is better to focus on skills that will help you get on in modern life, like coding.   

Or... The main issue is not how we could survive in the jungle, but how the jungle will survive us. All schools should give lessons on climate change and how to protect the environment.

Mayday - An internationally-recognised distress signal. It is a corruption of the French "venez m'aider", meaning "come and help me".

Indigenous - Ethnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA.