Plane crashes in alligator-infested swamp as survivors perch on top for 36 hours

Survivors of aneeded to spend 36 hours perched on top of the aircraft after it plummeted into an .

The survivors, three women, a child and the pilot, were found by local fishermen after it crashed into the Amazonas region of Bolivia. Officials launched a rescue operation on Thursday after the vanished off radars in central . The pilot told local outlets an engine failure prompted an emergency landing close to the Itanomas River during a flight from Baures northern Bolivia to the city of Trinidad. The plane reportedly started to lose altitude and that an emergency landing needed to be done in a swamp below.

But after managing to survive they found themselves "surrounded by alligators that came within three metres of us," pilot Andres Velarde said, as reported by the . He added they believed they spotted an anaconda in the water and that leaking petrol from the aircraft had managed to keep any predators away.

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As they waited to be rescued, the survivors ate cassava flour that one of them had brought. Mr Velarde said: "We couldn't drink water and we couldn't go anywhere else because of the alligators."

Fortunately, after being rescued by the fishermen, they were sent via helicopter to a hospital where they received treatment. The director of the Beni Region Health Department admitted there had been "a lot of speculation" about the crash and that there were "many theories" after the aircraft vanished.

He told the Reuters news agency: "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."

Many regions of Central and South America are home to caimans, which are closely related to alligators. Passengers on an airboat trip in the Florida Everglades experienced a similar incident when their tour into a nightmare after it capsized, flinging them into alligator-infested waters.

Nine people on the tour, as well as the operator, fell into the waters when the boat made a sharp turn. Passengers on board claimed the boat operator was trying to get a closer look at deadly reptiles before the incident happened.

One passenger told Local 10 News: "(The) boat just flipped on its side and we’re all in the water. I was screaming, because the alligator's right there.

"Luckily, no one was hurt badly. A couple of scratches here and there - an accident. Things happen." Jose Maldonado, another passenger, recalled feeling concern for his wife and family before turning his thoughts to the alligators.

"My first thought was panic, I was afraid for my wife and family members, and then I thought about the alligator," he said.