Father of Colombian children rescued in jungle charged with sexual abuse

Father of Colombian children rescued in jungle charged with sexual abuse. The father of two of the four Indigenous children who survived for 40 days in the Amazon has been charged with sexually abusing his stepdaughter, Colombian prosecutors announced.

The siblings were the only survivors after their plane crashed in the jungle in May, killing all three adults onboard, including their mother. 

During judicial proceedings on Saturday, the Colombian Prosecutor's Office accused Manuel Ranoque of "abusing his stepdaughter" Lesly since she was 10 years old. Ranoque, who was arrested Friday and denies the charges, is to remain in custody, prosecutors said.

The children spent a month recovering in hospital and were then placed in the custody of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, which detected the possible sexual abuse and informed prosecutors.