Wizard
3rd Jun 2002, 05:32
Three men whose helicopter was thought hijacked by Colombian rebels have been found alive in the jungle six weeks after their April 19 disappearance. The three were ferrying a Bell 212 from Calgary to Lima, Peru, and were thought lost to rebel hijackers. A commercial airliner near the Patia River in southern Colombia Tuesday picked up their distress call via radio. The men said they were not injured, but that they had been shot down by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (RAFC). According to the Associated Press, the Colombian armed forces intercepted radio communications on or prior to May 2, indicating that the three men had been kidnapped by the RAFC. Late last week, Colombian Air Force aircraft were unable to attempt a rescue due to weather.