By BlogHear News Team | May 4, 2025
Beni Department, Bolivia — Five people, including a child and three women, were rescued after spending a terrifying 36 hours atop a partially submerged plane in a swamp infested with alligators and other predators in Bolivia’s Amazon region.
The small aircraft, piloted by 29-year-old Andres Velarde, was en route from Baures to Trinidad when it suffered an engine failure and was forced to make an emergency landing near the Itanomas River in the Beni Department on April 30.
The passengers—stranded and surrounded by dangerous wildlife—survived atop the wreckage without clean drinking water, subsisting on cassava flour brought by one of the travelers.
“Alligators came as close as three meters. We saw an anaconda, too,” Velarde told local media. He credited the smell of leaking fuel for possibly keeping the predators at bay.
The incident sparked a full-scale search and rescue operation after the plane disappeared from radar. The wreckage was eventually spotted by local fishermen on May 2, prompting immediate intervention by Bolivian authorities. A military helicopter was dispatched, and the survivors were airlifted to safety.
Ruben Torres, Director of the Beni Region Health Department, confirmed that all five individuals were in “excellent condition” after the ordeal. One woman reportedly sustained a minor head injury but did not require hospitalization.
“There was a lot of speculation while the aircraft was missing,” Torres said. “I am truly grateful for the teamwork of all institutions that came together to find and save these lives.”
The successful rescue highlights the importance of regional coordination in emergency response efforts in Bolivia’s remote areas, where dense jungle and wildlife can complicate rescue missions.
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