36 hours in the wild! A child and three women survive a plane crash amid crocodiles and an anaconda– here's how

A routine flight over northern Bolivia took a dangerous turn when a small aircraft disappeared from radar and was later discovered in the middle of a swamp. On board were five people– three women, a child, and the pilot– who spent 36 hours stranded on the wreckage, surrounded by wildlife and unable to move.

The flight, which had taken off from the town of Baures and was headed towards Trinidad, never reached its destination. What followed was a challenging rescue effort and a survival story shaped by calm, patience, and luck.

According to the pilot, 29-year-old Andres Velarde, the aircraft suffered an unexpected engine failure during the journey. With no time to return or change course, he had to make an emergency landing in the middle of a swamp, near the Itanomas River.

“The plane had suddenly started to lose altitude and I had been forced to land the craft in a swamp near a lagoon,” Velarde told local media.

The landing was rough, but all five on board survived. However, the danger had only just begun.

After the crash, the passengers were forced to remain on top of the aircraft, which was partially submerged in swamp water. With no way to move through the thick marshland and dense forest, and with no communication tools, they waited.


“We were surrounded by alligators that came within three metres of us,” Velarde said, adding that he believed petrol leaking from the aircraft may have discouraged the predators from coming closer. As mentioned in a report presented by the BBC, the group also saw an anaconda nearby during their time in the swamp.

Food was limited, and drinking water was unavailable. As per the report, the only thing they had to eat was cassava flour, carried by one of the passengers. “We couldn’t drink water, and we couldn’t go anywhere else because of the alligators,” Velarde explained.

The aircraft had been missing for nearly two full days before local fishermen noticed the wreck and alerted authorities. A helicopter was then sent to the site, and all five people were airlifted to safety. According to the report, they were later taken to a hospital for medical observation.

Wilson Avila, head of the emergency operations in Beni Department, confirmed that the survivors were found in “excellent condition” after their ordeal, as quoted by the BBC.

As soon as the plane went missing, agencies joined the search operation. The lack of communication from the aircraft had raised concerns and led to various theories about its location.

“There had been a lot of speculation about the case and many theories,” said Ruben Torres, Director of the Beni Region Health Department. “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,” he told Reuters.

The survivors have now returned to safety, but the incident has drawn attention to the challenges of emergency response in remote jungle areas. The combination of geography, wildlife, and lack of infrastructure often makes such operations difficult.

Still, the coordination between locals, authorities, and rescue teams ensured that what could have ended in tragedy concluded with all lives saved.