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 have 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 yesterday, the Colombian Prosecutor's Office accused Manuel Ranoque of "abusing his stepdaughter", since she was 10 years old.
The now 13-year-old was credited with keeping her siblings alive during their five-week ordeal using her deep knowledge of the jungle and its many dangers - including snakes, predatory animals and armed criminal groups.
The children, members of the Huitoto Indigenous group, managed to subsist on a package of cassava flour they found on the plane and wild fruits.
Mr Ranoque, who was arrested on Friday and denies the charges, is to remain in custody, prosecutors said.
He participated in the massive search operation to track down the children, aged between 13 and one.
After the children were discovered about 5km from the crash site, a custody battle ensued between their maternal grandparents and Mr Ranoque, who is the biological father of the two younger siblings.
The children spent a month recovering in hospital and were then placed in the custody of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute.
