TMZ Investigates: The Miracle Children of the Amazon, Thursday Night on Fox

TMZ has a new documentary probing the miracle in the Amazon that unfolded 2 weeks ago ... when 4 children survived a plane crash and fended for themselves for 40 terrifying days.

The special -- which airs Thursday on FOX at 8 PM -- "TMZ Investigates: The Miracle Children of the Amazon." We have boots on the ground in Colombia to not only chronicle the crash, the search and the rescue, but explore some very puzzling elements.

As you know ... four kids, ages 13, 9, 4 and 11 months, made it out alive after a fatal plane crash -- which killed 3 adults, including their mother -- and went on to fight for their lives for well over a month in the jungles of Colombia.

Some of the questions ... Why did the children hide from rescuers? Were they political pawns in a conflict between insurgent forces and the government of Colombia? Why did the President of Colombia announce the kids were found 2 weeks before the rescue, and then take it back? And why is there now a bitter custody war over the kids?

There's so much more here than meets the eye -- and TMZ has it all covered, with interviews with the father, grandparents, government officials and rescuers.