4 children whose plane crashed in the Colombian jungle 2 weeks ago have been declared alive — but authorities have yet to confirm they're safe

• Four children reportedly survived crash landing in the Colombian jungle, and a massive search ensued.
• Colombia's president announced they were found, but other authorities did not confirm this.

A massive search for four young children in Colombia continues with multiple questions unanswered, after their plane crashed in the jungle, killing all adults on board two weeks ago.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted on Wednesday that the children had been found alive, causing national jubilation.

However, since then, the tweet has disappeared, and the country's military cautioned that they have not made contact with the children, according to local newspaper El Espectador. Further reports suggest they have been sighted but not yet rescued.

The Cessna 206, carrying seven people, crashed on May 1 after signaling an engine failure, landing in dense jungle in the Caquetá region, according to local reports.

The plane, along with the bodies of three adults — including the children's mother — was found on Tuesday, the BBC reported. But there were also signs of potential survivors.

Colonel Juan José López said: "We think that the children who were aboard the plane are alive," the BBC reported. "We have found traces at a different location, away from the crash site, and a place where they may have sheltered."

If alive, the children — whose ages range from 11 months to 13 years — will have survived 16 days in the jungle.

A massive search involving multiple agencies and armed forces has been under way. More than 100 soldiers plus sniffer dogs and aircraft have been deployed, the Colombian Air Force announced.

It said that on Wednesday it also transmitted audio messages in Huitoto, the children's native language, from speakers attached to the aircraft, recorded by their grandmother and telling them not to wander further off.

After Petro's tweet, the Colombian armed forces issued a notice cautioning that they had not made contact with the children. Nor has OPIAC, the country's national organization for indigenous groups — which was closely involved in finding the aircraft — confirmed the find.

Colombia's child protection agency ICBF sent out a clarifying statement saying that it had been the source of the president's information about the children being found.

It had received reports from local indigenous communities saying the children had been found alive and healthy, it said, while acknowledging the armed forces had not made contact with the children yet.

A statement from Avianline Charter, the company that rented out the aircraft, also offered a tentative version of events.

According to El Pais' translation of the statement, the pilot of a light aircraft that landed at a nearby airstrip had also heard from locals that the youngsters were alive and traveling downriver. He radioed this information onwards.

The company's statement also noted that electrical storms and heavy rain could have impeded progress and radio communications in the search.