A family from Colombia got lost in the jungle for more than a month before being found in Peru. The mother and her three children survived on fruits and berries. An indigenous group sheltered the family until the Peruvian and Colombian navy rescued them and returned them to civilisation.

The woman and her children were on a holiday in the region, when they managed to get lost in the heavily forested area. The woman's husband reported her missing on December 20, and a search was launched. 40-year-old María Oliva Pérez and her children, Mayi Alexandra, 14; Geraldin, 12; and Jean Carlos, 10, remained untraceable for 34 days.

While the family was lost, they decided to follow the Putumayo River in hopes of finding a way to get rescued. The family from Colombia did not realise that they had crossed the border and entered Peru. Eventually, the family found some members of an indigenous group.

Amazon rainforest
After being lost in the jungle between Peru and Columbia for over a month a woman and her children were rescued. JODY AMIET/AFP/Getty Images

The Secoya indigenous group, near the village of Yubito, found the family and reported their location to the Peruvian Navy. The Independent reported that the mother and the children waited with the tribe as the Peruvian Navy coordinated the rescue operation with the Colombian navy.

With the help of a hovercraft belonging to the Peruvian Navy, the four survivors were taken 110 miles upstream of the Putumayo River to Puerto Leguizamo in southern Colombia. Once the family crossed into Colombia, the Colombian Navy took over the responsibility of getting the family medical aid.

Colombian news site Noticias Caracol reported that the family was dehydrated and malnourished. The mother recalled that in the hot and humid jungle, the children would faint if they walked for 30-minutes without water.

The family survived by eating berries, seeds, fruits, and whatever edible items they could find. Recovering from their wounds and weakened state in ESE Hospital Maria Angelines, the family was reunited with the father. Even though the survivors sustained minor cuts and injuries, they will be tested for mosquito-borne diseases like yellow fever and malaria before they are released.