Five People Rescued After Spending 36 Hours in Swamp Infested with Alligators in Amazon

In a dramatic rescue from the Bolivian Amazon, five people—including three women, a child, and the pilot—were saved after spending 36 hours stranded atop a small plane surrounded by alligators.

The aircraft had been missing for nearly two days before local fishermen discovered it in Bolivia’s Amazonas region on Friday. Authorities launched a search and rescue mission on Thursday after the plane vanished from radar during a flight from Baures to the city of Trinidad.

According to Wilson Avila, head of the Beni Department’s emergency operations, the survivors were found in “excellent condition,” despite the ordeal.

Pilot Andres Velarde, 29, told local media that the aircraft experienced sudden engine failure, forcing him to make an emergency landing near the Itanomas River. “The plane suddenly started to lose altitude,” he explained. “I had no choice but to land it in a swamp near a lagoon.”

The passengers remained atop the partially submerged plane for over a day, surrounded by alligators. “They came within three meters of us,” Velarde said, adding that he believed leaking fuel kept the predators from getting closer. He also noted they saw an anaconda nearby.

With no access to clean water and movement restricted by the threat of wildlife, they survived by eating cassava flour that one passenger had brought. “We couldn’t drink water and we couldn’t go anywhere else because of the alligators,” Velarde recalled.

After the fishermen alerted authorities, a helicopter was dispatched to evacuate the five rescued people to a nearby hospital.

Ruben Torres, Director of the Beni Region Health Department, acknowledged widespread concern during the search. “There was a lot of speculation about the case and many theories,” he said. “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.”

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