Remains of Bolivian pilot found frozen and intact 20 years later

Remains of Bolivian pilot found frozen and intact 20 years later

2010-11-10 23:20:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (BNO NEWS) -- The corpse of a Bolivian pilot was found in the country's snow caped mountain tops east of its capital, La Paz, 20 years after a plane crash, local media reported Wednesday.

Benjamin Pabon Galindo died on October 19, 1990 after crashing a plane while transporting meat from Bolivia's northern Amazonian region of Beni to La Paz. Apparently, due to technical failure and severe weather conditions, the plane crashed into the Huayna Potosi mountain.

Around 7 years after the accident, the body of another pilot that was also on board was found, but Pabon's bodily remains were not found until last Sunday by mountaineers hired by family members.

Carlos Pabon, the pilot's father, spoke on a local TV network on Wednesday, saying the body was found intact and still wearing original clothing. However, the body was completely frozen, and while rescuers were pulling out the body out of the pilot seat, it tore in half.

Pabon Galindo - whose grandfather, Rafael Pabon, is credited with being the first pilot in the American continents in winning an air battle during a war (Chaco War) - will be buried on Thursday during a funeral ceremony.

"In a mixture of joy, tears, and pain, we received my brother's remain," Miguel Angel Pabon said. "At last, we will have a place where we can offer him our prayers."

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