Two young brothers who went missing in the Amazon rainforest for four weeks have miraculously been found alive.
Glauco, seven, and Gleison Ferreira, nine, left their home in the Lago Capanã nature reserve in Brazil’s Amazonas state to find small birds on February 18.
After they failed to come home the authorities began a wide search of the rainforest in the country’s northwest – but called it off on February 26.
Incredibly, they were found on Tuesday night almost four miles away from home by a tree cutter, who heard one of the boys screaming at the sound of his chainsaw.
The man found the two boys lying on the rainforest floor, hungry and painfully thin, with skin abrasions. They told their parents they had eaten nothing while lost and had survived only by drinking rainwater.
BEFORE: Brothers Glauco (right) and Gleison (left) were searched for by 260 members of the public when emergency services abandoned their efforts on February 26 – after just eight days
AFTER: Youngsters Gleison (above) and Glauco Ferreira (below) are given drinking water moments after being found in the remote Amazon rainforest. They were missing for 26 days
Long-suffering Glauco (right) and Gleison (left) were taken by boat from the remote area where they were found to a small dock, where an ambulance rushed them to a local hospital
Tearful dad Claudionor Ribeiro Ferreira told TV station Band Jornalismo: ‘When I saw my children, I was thrilled.’
He said he was also taken aback by the size of the crowd who came to see his boys’ safe arrival.
The tree cutter found the two boys lying on the rainforest floor, both in severe condition.
Glauco and Gleison were then rushed to hospital in nearby Manicoré, where they were treated for severe malnutrition, dehydration and skin abrasions.
Volunteers took the severely malnourished and dehydrated brothers back to dry land by boat
A huge crowd assembled to witness Glauco and Gleison’s miraculous return to safety
Gleison was covered almost entirely by cloth to protect him from the elements
After being placed in the ambulance, the fragile Ferreira brothers were taken to a local hospital
Glauco and Gleison were then airlifted yesterday morning to an ICU in regional capital Manaus.
A video tweeted by the Amazon Manaus Post shows the pair being transported on a boat from the remote part of the jungle where they were found.
Arriving at a dock to be put in an ambulance, a hundreds-strong crowd greets them.
The post’s caption reads: ‘The video shows children being rescued amid commotion and applause in the morning.’
A search party of more than 250 people, which had continued to search for the boys after official efforts ended, celebrated as the boys were stretchered to safety.
The Ferreira family are members of the indigenous Mura ethnic group, with local leaders also adding to search efforts.
In an interview for local TV, dad Claudionor said he was ‘thrilled’ to have his sons back and overjoyed that so many people helped him search for them after they went missing
Claudionor struggled to hold it together when he thought about the critical condition his boys were found in
Gleison and his brother were moved yesterday morning from a small local hospital near where they were found to the regional capital Manaus so they could be treated in an ICU
Glauco and Gleison disappeared from their Palmeira, Lago Capanã home on February 18 after saying they wanted to bring home small birds from the jungle. Luckily, they were found
Lost during the Amazon’s turgid rainy season, the brothers had a hard task moving around, not to mention finding food and clean water.
They won’t be fed properly until they gain enough weight to process solids, local media reported.
Brazil is home to almost two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest, which covers much of the country’s northwest region.
Last year a crashed pilot lost four stone (25.4kg) during a 36-day stint lost in the Amazon.
Antonio Sena, 36, lost control of his small plane after a mechanical failure shortly after lift-off.
He was finally found by a group of chestnut pickers in the Para region.
Glauco and Gleison were flown to Manaus, where they are now receiving round-the-clock care from doctors at an intensive care unit in the regional capital
The Amazon rainforest is one of the toughest places in the world to survive without plenty of supplies – particularly during rainy season. The Jurua River (pictured) runs through its centre
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