Peru’s National Police (PNP) discuss to find missing Ashaninka children near the border with Brazil. Photo courtesy of Andina
LIMA, April 17 (NNN-ANDINA) – After an intense search, Peru’s National Police (PNP) found the missing Ashaninka children near the border with Brazil. The four minors had been missing for a week, Interior Minister Carlos Moran reported on Tuesday.
According to early reports, the children —three boys and a girl aged 14, 8, 6, and 5— showed signs of dehydration and will be brought to Pucallpa City as soon as possible to receive the required health examinations.
“The children are safe and sound. This is good news for the country. President Martin Vizcarra and Prime Minister Salvador del Solar were deeply concerned about them,” the Interior head emphasized.
Two of the minors are the children of Ashaninka leader Leoncio Quinticima —a 2014 murder victim— and the other two were his nephew and niece.
The government official highlighted the efforts of police officers, of which six were native of the Ashaninka community, so their knowledge of rainforest and the training they received from the PNP led to a more efficient and effective search.
Members of the Peruvian Navy joined the search. They conducted river patrols in the Ucayali River basin.
According to Moran, the children were first found by a local, who fed them. In addition, a kidnapping has been ruled out.
“Their rainforest knowledge allowed these Ashaninka children to survive conditions that other people —outside this reality— would find difficult to cope with,” he commented.
NNN-ANDINA