"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 towards the city of San Jose del Guaviare in ColombiaA country in South America with a population of just over 50 million. . The Cessna 206 had suffered engine failure. Moments later it disappeared from the air traffic controllers' radar.

The plane was supposed to be carrying 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 to safety. Their village had been taken over by rebel guerrillasA guerrilla is a civilian who attacks a regular army. who wanted the villagers to help with their drug business and illegal goldmining.

But one of the community leaders, Manuel Roque, refused to co-operate. After receiving death threats, he decided to move his family out of the area.

The plane was carrying his wife Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia and their four children: Lesly, aged 13; Soleiny, aged 9; Tien, aged 4; and Cristin, aged 11 months. Another community leader, Mendoza Hernandez, went with them.

Two weeks after the plane's disappearance, its wreckage was found hanging in the jungle with its propeller buried in the ground. In it were the bodies of the three adults, who had been sitting in the front seats - but there was no sign of the children.

A huge search, named Operation Hope, began. It eventually involved nearly 350 people, including soldiers from Colombia's special forces and Huitoto volunteers.

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

But the searchers knew that the children faced many dangers. Even if they did not starve, they could fall victim to snakes or wild animals, including jaguarsA large wild cat with a yellow-brown coat and black spots. It is found in Central and South America. .

"This isn't a search for a needle in a haystack," said General Pedro Sanchez, who led the operation.¹ "It's a tiny flea in a vast carpet, because they keep moving."

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 to indicate that all four children were safe.

Their survival has been attributed to their upbringing, since 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.