'I feel blessed': Plane crash survivor cheats death anew after bus falls off cliff

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/afp/03/04/plane-crash-survivor.jpg"/><figcaption>Erwin Tumiri, one of the six survivors and member of the crew of the airplane that crashed in Colombia carrying members of Brazilian Chapecoense Real football crew, recovers in a clinic in Cochabamba, Bolivia, on December 3, 2016. <em>Agence France-Presse</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>La Paz, Bolivia - A 30-year-old flight engineer who survived a horror plane crash in Colombia in 2016 has crawled alive from the wreckage of a bus in Bolivia that plunged off a cliff, killing 21 people.</p><p>&quot;I crawled out, my knee was injured, I sat down and said: &#x27;Again, I cannot believe it&#x27;,&quot; Bolivian Erwin Tumiri told Los Tiempos newspaper from his hospital bed in Cochabamba in central Bolivia after Tuesday&#x27;s disaster.</p><p>Tumiri was on the crew of a plane that crashed in Colombia in 2016, carrying 19 players from Brazilian football club Chapecoense to Medellin for a match. </p><p>Seventy-one people died.</p><p>He was also on the bus that plunged some 150 meters (500 feet) off a cliff near Cochabamba on Tuesday, killing 21 people and injuring 30.</p><p>&quot;I grabbed onto the seat in front of me, I knew we were going to crash, because we were going at great speed,&quot; Tumiri recalled.</p><p>&quot;I continued holding on, I did not let go until we hit the ground,&quot; he said.</p><p>Tumiri said he was conscious when rescuers arrived.</p><p>&quot;I feel blessed. Always giving thanks to God,&quot; he added.</p><p>Only five other people survived the 2016 plane crash: three footballers, a Bolivian flight attendant and a Brazilian journalist.</p><p>jac/fj/dga/mlr/caw</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/luuu2uuPYiY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div> </div>

<p>La Paz, Bolivia - A 30-year-old flight engineer who survived a horror plane crash in Colombia in 2016 has crawled alive from the wreckage of a bus in Bolivia that plunged off a cliff, killing 21 people.</p>

La Paz, Bolivia - A 30-year-old flight engineer who survived a horror plane crash in Colombia in 2016 has crawled alive from the wreckage of a bus in Bolivia that plunged off a cliff, killing 21 people.

'I feel blessed': Plane crash survivor cheats death anew after bus falls off cliff | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

News

'I feel blessed': Plane crash survivor cheats death anew after bus falls off cliff

'I feel blessed': Plane crash survivor cheats death anew after bus falls off cliff

Agence France-Presse

Published Mar 04, 2021 01:27 PM PHT

Read More:

plane crash

Erwin Tumiri

Bolivia

bus falls off cliff

Colombia

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.