Cosmetics Salesman Found Alive Three Days After Plane Crash in Bolivian Jungle

TRINIDAD, Bolivia – A lone survivor has been found three days after a plane crash in the Bolivian jungle, according to media reports Friday.

Officials had declared all those on board the Aerocon flight dead before the man, named in El Deber newspaper as 38-year-old father of two Minor Vidal, was found by a navy patrol.

The cosmetics salesman was discovered on a river bank about 650 feet (200m) from where the plane came down in the Amazonian jungle.

He was expected to undergo surgery in Trinidad, about 500 miles (800km) northwest of La Paz, after being found on Friday morning local time.

Eight other people died when the plane crashed Tuesday.

Vidal, who reportedly had a perforated lung and three broken ribs, told rescuers he wanted to talk to his two daughters and tell them to have faith in God.

The plane was carrying seven passengers and two crew when it took off Tuesday from the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz headed for Trinidad when it vanished from radar, AFP reported.

It is believed the plane ran into difficulty when it flew into thick smoke caused by forests being burned to clear room for grazing, Sky News reported.