Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Latest News

Five people rescued almost two days after plane crashes into alligator-infested swamp

Five people have been rescued from an alligator-infested swamp almost two days after their plane crashed in the Amazonian jungle in Bolivia.

The small aircraft, carrying the pilot, three women and a child, crashed on Wednesday, but the group were not rescued until Friday morning, the Bolivian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

None of the group were seriously injured and they survived on chocolate and cassava flour during the ordeal.

The plane had taken off from the Baures municipality in northern Bolivia and was bound for the city of Trinidad, the Ministry said.

An hour after take-off, the pilot reported technical issues before all contact with the aircraft was lost, according to the Ministry.

The pilot, identified by local media outlets as 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde, was able to carry out an emergency landing but landed near an alligator nest, he told local outlet Unitel.

“We fell into a swamp, and right next to it, there was an alligator nest. But thanks to the fuel that spilled from the aircraft, it contaminated the water and the strong smell of that scared them off, not completely, but they didn’t approach us to attack us,” he told Unitel in an interview from his hospital bed on Friday.

One survivor, Mirtha Fuentes, told local media of her emotional disbelief after surviving the plane crash. “We all cried with happiness because we were alive, with bruises, but alive and very lucky, thanks to God and the pilot’s quick thinking and intelligence,” she told Unitel.

Bolivia’s defense ministry and civil defense activated a search and rescue operation, but the first 48 hours were hindered by “adverse weather conditions,” the ministry said. Multiple flights passed over the survivors but failed to spot them, local media reported.

The group survived on rationed food recovered by the pilot from the submerged plane, the pilot told Unitel, before they were discovered by fishermen early Friday morning.

The five survivors were airlifted to the city of Trinidad, in a rescue helicopter from Bolivia’s Air Force, the defense ministry said.

“Thanks to the work of our specialized personnel, at this time the five rescued individuals, including a child, are alive and we are making every effort to take them to safe areas and provide them with the medical attention they need,” Bolivian president Luis Arce said in a statement.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News And Articles.






    Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

    You May Also Like

    Economy

    Top House Republicans are leading a bill to reverse the Biden administration’s decision to lift sanctions on a Chinese entity linked to the persecution...

    Editor's Pick

    The rise of Asian fast fashion retailer Shein already has Amazon on alert, but its plans of selling proprietary supply-chain technology and services to...

    Economy

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is facing scrutiny from Republicans over what they say are pro-China remarks, including an interview in which the Democratic vice...

    Economy

    Ahead of a planned trip to China this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reported to have alleged that Beijing is still...

    Disclaimer: Smartmerchantknow.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2025 smartmerchantknow.com