Five people survive 36 hours in swamp 'surrounded by alligators' after plane crash
2 days ago
Jessica Rawnsley
BBC News
Five people have been rescued after spending 36 hours atop a plane in an alligator-infested swamp in the Amazon after it was forced to make an emergency landing, local authorities said.
The small plane was found by local fishermen in Bolivia's Amazonas region on Friday having been missing for 48 hours.
The survivors - three women, a child and the 29-year-old pilot - were rescued in "excellent condition", Wilson Avila, director of the Beni Department's emergency operations centre, said.
A search and rescue mission was launched on Thursday after the plane disappeared from the radar of the Beni Department in central Bolivia.
The pilot told local media that an engine failure had prompted an emergency landing near the Itanomas River during a flight from Baures in northern Bolivia to the city of Trinidad.
Andres Velarde said that the plane had suddenly started to lose altitude and he had been forced to land the craft in a swamp near a lagoon.
The five that had been on board stood on top of the plane and were "surrounded by alligators that came within three metres of us".
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2y3p45p18o
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What a great story to not read to a child at bedtime!
Amazon alligator
Amazon anaconda - caught and released. 17 feet long.
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