Five Bolivia Plane Crash Survivors Rescued After 36 Grueling Hours in Alligator-Infested Swamp

LA PAZ, May 3 — Five people endured 36 hours in an alligator-infested swamp after making an emergency landing in the Bolivian Amazon, according to local authorities and the pilot.

All passengers on board — three women, a child, and the 29-year-old pilot — were rescued from the overturned aircraft in "excellent condition," said Wilson Avila, head of the emergency operations center in Bolivia’s Beni region.

The plane, a single-engine aircraft, had departed from the town of Baures and was en route to Trinidad, around 180 kilometers away, when it encountered trouble mid-flight.

From his hospital bed, pilot Andres Velarde recounted how the aircraft began losing altitude unexpectedly. With few options, he aimed for open land but was forced to land in a swamp near a lagoon.

“We were surrounded by alligators that came within three meters of us,” Velarde said, noting that he believed leaking kerosene from the aircraft may have deterred the predators. He also mentioned spotting an anaconda in the water.

With no access to clean water and no safe escape due to the dangerous wildlife, the group survived by eating cassava flour brought by one of the passengers.

They were eventually spotted and rescued by local fishermen, then taken to hospital for treatment.

Air taxis are commonly used in the Beni region due to the lack of paved roads and the poor condition of existing ones. — AFP