Five people survive 36 hours surrounded by alligators after plane crashes into swamp in Amazon

Saturday, 3 May 2025 17:34

By Samuel Osborne, news reporter

Five people survived 36 hours surrounded by alligators after their plane crashed into a swamp in the Amazon, the pilot has told local media.

A child, three women and the pilot of the light aircraft were rescued by a helicopter on Friday, Bolivian authorities said.

The aircraft was flying from Baures to Trinidad over the Beni Department of northeastern Bolivia when the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing.

He told local media it was a "tough landing" and the plane flipped over when it crashed into the swamp.

Pablo Andres Velarde said they were left standing on top of the plane as it lay submerged in the water.

He said they were surrounded by "huge alligators" which came within three metres of the group.

"They stayed three to four metres away from us, and stayed there all day and night but never got to us," he said.

The pilot used the torch on his phone to keep watch of the reptiles and said he thought they were deterred by the smell of petrol leaking into the water from the plane.

They also saw snakes in the water and had to contend with mosquitoes.

The group "couldn't drink anything," he added, and the only thing they had to eat was cassava flour they rescued from the plane.

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They eventually heard a fishing boat and the pilot signalled with his phone's flashlight and shouted for help.

They were later airlifted to a hospital.

"We were happy because we could not survive another night," Mr Velarde said.

"We were very tired. We couldn't stand anymore, because we had to stand so we could keep an eye on the animals."

Ruben Torres, director of the Beni region health department, said there had been "a lot of speculation" and "many theories" after the plane went missing.

"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 that now receive the attention they need, being with their families is important," he said.

Sky News