Five individuals, including a child, were rescued after their plane crashed into a swamp near an alligator nest in northern Bolivia. The aircraft departed from the Baures municipality on Wednesday, heading to the capital of the province, the city of Trinidad. An hour into the flight, first officer, 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde began to indicate a technical failure. Then, all communications from the plane were cut.
The aircraft ran into challenges and was forced to land in a remote, dangerous region filled with wild animals. The events leading up to the crash had passengers marooned for nearly 36 hours. In response, the Bolivian Defense Ministry swiftly deployed a search and rescue operation. Yet once on the ground, extreme weather severely complicated their mission — especially during those crucial first 48 hours.
Around 9 AM Friday morning the survivors were spotted by a rescue helicopter operated by Bolivia’s Air Force. They soon airlifted them to safety across the water in Trinidad. Among those rescued was Mirtha Fuentes, who shared her emotional reaction after surviving the deadly episode.
“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,” – Mirtha Fuentes.
Velarde described his harrowing experience of the crumpling crash. He described how the leaking fuel from the plane formed a barrier that stopped gators from getting close.
“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,” – Pablo Andrés Velarde.
Luis Arce, a representative of the Bolivian government, praised the efforts of the rescue personnel involved in locating and saving the survivors.
“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,” – Luis Arce.
The tragedy has drawn attention to the overall aviation safety in Bolivia’s more isolated areas. Authorities should carry out a complete investigation into the technical hiccups. These failures caused the emergency landing.
