Survivors Rescued After Plane Crash in Alligator-Infested Swamp

In a remarkable survival tale, five individuals, including a child and a pilot, were rescued after enduring nearly a day and a half on a submerged plane in a dangerous alligator-infested swamp in Bolivia.

A small plane in Bolivia's Amazonas region crash-landed in a swamp, forcing its five occupants to seek refuge on top of the aircraft as alligators lurked below. The survivors, which include three women, a child, and the 29-year-old pilot, Andres Velarde, were located and rescued after 36 hours by local fishermen.

The aircraft, reported missing for two days, was found by fishermen who notified authorities, prompting a search-and-rescue operation. Velarde explained that an engine failure led to the emergency landing near the Itanomas River while flying from Baures to Trinidad. As they clung to the plane, they were surrounded by alligators that approached within three meters of them, though a leak from the plane's fuel appeared to deter the predators.

While waiting for rescue, the group was forced to survive on cassava flour provided by one of the passengers. Velarde recounted the challenge of not having access to drinking water but felt fortunate to have food.

After the helicopter transport to the hospital, Ruben Torres, Director of the Beni Region Health Department, expressed satisfaction at the collaborative effort that led to the rescue, noting, "I am really happy because in the end all the institutions joined together to be able to find the missing people and save those lives." Local authorities hailed the successful rescue, bringing relief to a tense situation involving multiple agencies and community members working in unison.