Lost in the Jungle: How Five Survived a Plane Crash and Alligator-Infested Swamp

Five individuals, including a child, were rescued nearly two days after their small aircraft crashed in a remote part of Bolivia’s Amazon jungle, landing in a swamp teeming with alligators. The dramatic rescue took place on a Friday morning, following a grueling ordeal that began with a crash on Wednesday.

The aircraft had departed from Baures, in northern Bolivia, on a flight to the city of Trinidad. Around an hour after take-off, the pilot encountered technical problems and eventually lost communication with air traffic controllers, according to the Bolivian Defense Ministry.

Local media identified the pilot as 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde. Despite the emergency, he managed to land the plane in swampy terrain. Incredibly, the group came down near an alligator nest but avoided being attacked, thanks in part to leaking fuel that contaminated the water and repelled the predators with its strong odor.

The survivors, which included three women and a child, were stranded in the swamp for close to 48 hours. With no immediate help in sight, they sustained themselves on limited supplies — mainly chocolate and cassava flour — salvaged from the aircraft by the pilot.

Search and rescue efforts were launched immediately by Bolivia’s civil defense and military units, but their efforts were delayed by harsh weather conditions. According to reports, several aircraft flew over the crash site without spotting the survivors due to thick jungle coverage and poor visibility.

One of the survivors, Mirtha Fuentes, shared her emotional response in an interview. “We cried tears of joy because we were still alive,” she said, expressing gratitude for the pilot’s quick thinking and to divine intervention. Though they had suffered minor injuries and bruises, all members of the group survived.

Their luck turned when local fishermen discovered them early Friday morning and alerted authorities. A Bolivian Air Force helicopter was promptly dispatched to retrieve the group and fly them to safety in Trinidad, where they began receiving medical treatment.

President Luis Arce acknowledged the success of the rescue mission and thanked the teams involved. “All five, including the child, are alive,” he said, assuring the public that the survivors were now being given the necessary medical attention and support.