Five people, including a child, survived for over two days in the Bolivian Amazon jungle after their aircraft crashed in a swamp filled with alligators, according to the Bolivian government.
The Cessna 172M Skyhawk, registered as CP-1099, disappeared from radar on April 29, 2025, while flying from Baures to Trinidad. An hour into the flight, the pilot reported technical problems before all contact with the aircraft was lost. The aircraft had a pilot, three women, and a child on board.
The Bolivian Ministry of Defense, along with the Vice Ministry of Civil Defense and the Bolivian Air Force (FAB), started a search and rescue mission with help from local authorities, specialized personnel and the Bolivian Air Services Company (ESABOL).
The FAB’s 72nd Air Group conducted two flights with light aircraft over the suspected crash area, totaling over six hours of thorough searching, which helped gather initial coordinates to locate the missing aircraft.
On May 2, 2025, at 07:20 local time, an EC-145 helicopter with a crane and special equipment from the Bolivian Air Force’s Search and Rescue Service took off from Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Local fishermen reportedly found the survivors asking for help from the wreckage. Shocking video footage circulated on social media, showing the missing passengers on top of the aircraft in the swamp.
#Bolivia | A miraculous rescue in the Amazon: Five people, including a child and the 29-year-old pilot, were found alive after spending 36 hours stranded on top of their crashed plane in an alligator-infested swamp.The light aircraft had vanished from radar on Wednesday during a… pic.twitter.com/2NpB5A4nwT
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 3, 2025
The aircraft was found in the jungle after two days and 18 hours. The Bolivian government confirmed that it was located near the Pedro Ignacio Muiba community, and all five people on board were found alive and stable.
Bolivian officials explained that the search took this long due to “adverse weather conditions”, which made “aerial and ground reconnaissance difficult.”
“They received food, immediate medical attention and were transferred by air to the city of Trinidad, where they are under observation and under institutional protection,” the statement concluded.
