Relatives fight for custody of siblings who survived Colombian plane crash

Indigenous Manuel Ranoque (C), father of the four Indigenous children who were found alive after being lost for 40 days in the Colombian Amazon rainforest following a plane crash, arrives at the Military Hospital, where the children were hospitalized BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A custody battle has broken out among relatives of four Indigenous children who survived a plane crash and 40 harrowing days alone in the Amazon rainforest in an extraordinary showing of youthful resilience that captivated people around the world.The siblings, ranging in age from 1 to 13, remained hospitalized Monday and were expected to stay there for several more days, a period that Colombia's child protection agency is using to interview family members to determine who should care for them after their mother died in the May 1 crash.Astrid Cáceres, head of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, said in an interview with BLU radio that a caseworker was assigned to the children at the request of their maternal grandparents, who are vying for custody with the father of the two youngest.RELATED: Oldest sibling of Colombian plane crash survivors said mother lived for days"We are going to talk, investigate, learn a little about the situation," Cáceres said, adding that the agency has not ruled out that they and their mother may have experienced domestic abuse.Colombian Military Forces pose for a photo as they found four children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed, in the department of Caqueta on June 9, 2023.(Photo by Colombian Military Forces / Handout/Anadolu Agency via "The most important thing at this moment is the children’s health, which is not only physical but also emotional, the way we accompany them.