Five people survived an incredible ordeal after their plane crashed into a swamp in the Amazon. The pilot, along with a child and three women, spent 36 hours surrounded by alligators before being rescued. The incident occurred when the light aircraft was flying from Baures to Trinidad in Bolivia’s Beni Department. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing, which he described as "tough," resulting in the plane flipping over upon impact.
After the crash, the group found themselves standing on top of the submerged aircraft. They were alarmingly close to large alligators, which stayed within three to four meters of them throughout the ordeal. The pilot, Pablo Andres Velarde, used the flashlight on his phone to keep an eye on the reptiles, believing they were deterred by the smell of leaking fuel.
In addition to the alligators, they also spotted snakes in the water and had to deal with swarming mosquitoes. The survivors had no drinking water and only managed to eat some cassava flour they salvaged from the wreckage. Velarde expressed their exhaustion, stating they could hardly stand after such a long time on alert.
Their luck changed when they heard a fishing boat nearby. Velarde signaled for help with his phone’s flashlight and shouted for assistance. Soon after, they were airlifted to safety and taken to a hospital. Velarde shared his relief, saying they were happy to be rescued, as they could not have survived another night in such conditions.
Ruben Torres, the director of the Beni region health department, expressed his joy at the successful rescue, noting that many had speculated about the fate of the missing passengers. He praised the collaborative efforts of various institutions that worked together to find and save the group.
The story of their survival highlights both the dangers of flying over remote areas and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.