BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A former hostage of Colombian rebels on Monday said that captive Ingrid Betancourt was sick but denied assertions that he had said she was near death.
France launched a mission to help the French-Colombian hostage, citing fears for her health after more than six years in captivity in the jungle. The mission has stalled as the rebels have not responded to appeals to give Betancourt medical aid or free her.
Lorenzo Delloye, Betancourt’s son, told reporters in Paris on Wednesday his mother could die if she did not get a blood transfusion “in the coming hours,” adding that she suffers from hepatitis B and a ravaging skin disease. He said he learned this from former hostage Luis Eladio Perez, who spent part of his captivity with Betancourt and last saw her on Feb. 4. But Perez said Monday that while Betancourt is sick, he would not characterize her as being in danger of dying.
