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Photos: Stuck at an airport in Brazil, Colombians plead for an airlift

Hundreds of Colombians, including migrants and tourists, have been living inside the Guarulhos International Airport, the largest in Brazil, waiting for a humanitarian flight from their government to take them home. They feed on donations, sleep on mats, and shower in the bathrooms. Colombia for now, is keeping its air borders closed due to the contingency of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and those wishing to be repatriated must be ready to foot the bill.

Updated on: May 29, 2020 11:02 AM IST

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Stranded Colombian citizens camping at Guarulhos International Airport on May 26. More than 200 Colombian citizens remain stranded at the airport waiting for a humanitarian flight to take them home. (AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Stranded Colombian citizens camping at Guarulhos International Airport on May 26. More than 200 Colombian citizens remain stranded at the airport waiting for a humanitarian flight to take them home. (AFP)

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A Colombian citizen and a girl look at planes sitting on the tarmac at Guarulhos International Airport, near Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 26.For several weeks now life has been an interminable layover for the Colombian nationals stuck in Latin America’s coronavirus hot spot. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

A Colombian citizen and a girl look at planes sitting on the tarmac at Guarulhos International Airport, near Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 26.For several weeks now life has been an interminable layover for the Colombian nationals stuck in Latin America’s coronavirus hot spot. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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Juan David, who lost his job in Brazil and is trying to return home to Colombia, prepares chocolate milk for his daughter Luciana at the Guarulhos International Airport on May 27, 2020. Most people have made the check-in area home, a few sleep on mattresses and others atop cloth sheets or flattened cardboard boxes. Some have stretched out on the bare floor. (Andre Pener / AP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Juan David, who lost his job in Brazil and is trying to return home to Colombia, prepares chocolate milk for his daughter Luciana at the Guarulhos International Airport on May 27, 2020. Most people have made the check-in area home, a few sleep on mattresses and others atop cloth sheets or flattened cardboard boxes. Some have stretched out on the bare floor. (Andre Pener / AP)

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Several people told AP they don’t have the more than $400 being asked by their government for a flight to Colombia after having lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Brazil’s economy shed more than a million jobs just from the formal sector between March and April according to government data. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Several people told AP they don’t have the more than $400 being asked by their government for a flight to Colombia after having lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Brazil’s economy shed more than a million jobs just from the formal sector between March and April according to government data. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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Lacking basic amenities, the stranded Colombian citizens have been bathing in public toilets at the airport. The Colombian Embassy in Brasilia has said in a statement that it has helped 346 Colombians get home, but each passenger paid his or her own way. It said Colombia’s migration rules prohibit the government from paying for anyone’s flight. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Lacking basic amenities, the stranded Colombian citizens have been bathing in public toilets at the airport. The Colombian Embassy in Brasilia has said in a statement that it has helped 346 Colombians get home, but each passenger paid his or her own way. It said Colombia’s migration rules prohibit the government from paying for anyone’s flight. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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Food has been reaching the Colombian nationals by way of donations. Considering the risk of being in a non-controlled environment like an airport, the Colombian embassy said a transfer to a municipal hostel had been offered but was declined by their fellow citizens. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Food has been reaching the Colombian nationals by way of donations. Considering the risk of being in a non-controlled environment like an airport, the Colombian embassy said a transfer to a municipal hostel had been offered but was declined by their fellow citizens. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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Angie Mosquera, 22, brushes her teeth in a public toilet at a lobby of the airport, on May 25. Federal prosecutors in Sao Paulo have said the group’s condition represents a “serious case of humanitarian vulnerability.” (Amanda Perobelli / REUTERS)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

Angie Mosquera, 22, brushes her teeth in a public toilet at a lobby of the airport, on May 25. Federal prosecutors in Sao Paulo have said the group’s condition represents a “serious case of humanitarian vulnerability.” (Amanda Perobelli / REUTERS)

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The group are living in three separate areas in clear violation of social distancing, with many children among families. Sao Paulo is also the epicentre of Covid-19 in Brazil, which is by far the hardest hit country in Latin America. Sao Paulo state alone has reported 89,000 cases and 6,700 deaths. By contrast, all of Colombia has around 24,000 cases and 800 deaths as of May 29. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

The group are living in three separate areas in clear violation of social distancing, with many children among families. Sao Paulo is also the epicentre of Covid-19 in Brazil, which is by far the hardest hit country in Latin America. Sao Paulo state alone has reported 89,000 cases and 6,700 deaths. By contrast, all of Colombia has around 24,000 cases and 800 deaths as of May 29. (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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A stranded Colombian citizen looks on while a child wrapped in a blanket sleeps besides her at the airport. “The only thing we’re asking for is help from our government. We’re Colombians,” Astrid Serna, one woman told AP. “They need to understand that if we had money, we wouldn’t be here.” (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Updated on May 29, 2020 11:02 AM

A stranded Colombian citizen looks on while a child wrapped in a blanket sleeps besides her at the airport. “The only thing we’re asking for is help from our government. We’re Colombians,” Astrid Serna, one woman told AP. “They need to understand that if we had money, we wouldn’t be here.” (Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

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