Rape conviction for father of Colombian kids rescued in jungle

FILE - Manuel Ranoque, the father of two of the youngest Indigenous children who survived an Amazon plane crash, gives an interview in Bogota, Colombia, June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

BOGOTA, Colombia — The father of two of the four Indigenous children who survived 40 days in the Amazon after a 2023 plane crash was convicted of raping a minor, a Colombian prosecution official told AFP on Monday.

The official said Manuel Ranoque, who risks 20 years in prison, will be sentenced in the coming days.

The siblings -- aged one to 13 at the time -- were the only survivors of a jungle plane crash in May 2023 that killed the three adults onboard, including their mother.

The search for the kids captivated the world. The oldest daughter was credited with keeping her siblings alive until their spectacular rescue some three miles (five kilometres) from the crash site.

The children’s survival and the dramatic rescue effort involving soldiers and Indigenous trackers is the subject of books, movies, and a Netflix documentary.

Ranoque was instrumental in the search operation, but was arrested a few months after the children were found alive and well.

He is the father of the two youngest of the four children, and stepfather to the other two.