5 people survive 36 hours in alligator-infested swamp
Five people spent 36 terrifying hours stranded on a plane in an alligator-infested swamp after a crash.
Imagine being stranded in a swamp for 36 hours with alligators circling just metres away and no clean water to drink.
That’s exactly what happened to five people in Bolivia’s Amazon region this past week.
A small plane carrying three women, a child, and a 29-year-old pilot went missing after taking off from Baures, heading for the city of Trinidad.
Trouble struck mid-air when the plane’s engine failed, forcing pilot Andrés Velarde to attempt an emergency landing near the Itanomas River.
Velarde managed to land the plane in a swampy area, but the danger was far from over.
With the wreckage sinking into the marsh and surrounded by alligators, the group climbed onto the top of the plane and stayed there for 36 hours.
Speaking to local media, Velarde revealed how terrifying the ordeal was.
“The alligators came within three metres of us,” he said.
He believes petrol leaking from the plane might have kept the hungry predators at bay.
If that wasn’t enough, they also spotted an anaconda slithering in the nearby water.
With no fresh water to drink and nowhere safe to go, the survivors had to rely on cassava flour one passenger had packed to keep their energy up.
A massive search operation was launched after the plane disappeared from radar, and local fishermen eventually spotted the wreckage.
Rescue teams quickly sent a helicopter to airlift the group to safety.
Remarkably, all five survivors were rescued in good condition.
Ruben Torres, director of the region’s health department, praised the teamwork involved in the rescue, saying, “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.”
It’s a miracle story of survival, one that proves human resilience and a bit of luck can get you through even the wildest of situations.
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