One of three people evacuated from a jungle airstrip in the town of Contamana late last week has died, according to daily El Comercio.
Samuel Tamani, 17 years old, was transferred from Contamana to a hospital in the city of Pucallpa, along with a 31-year-old woman and her two-day-old baby. Tamani had been diagnosed with leptospirosis, a disease that can be transmitted through the urine of rats and which can be fatal, while a difficult labor had endangered both Melita Murrieta and her baby’s lives.
Tamani had reached Contamana from his town of Orellana, which is three hours away by river.
The late night evacuation with a single-engine aircraft made headlines because some 300 mototaxi drivers had lit up the Contamana airstrip with their headlights to help the pilot land his small plane, pick up the three individuals and take off again for the hospital in Pucallpa.
The only other access to Pucallpa from Contamana is an 18-hour boat ride on the Ucayali river.
