Survivor of Lightning Strike Thanks Father for Life-Saving Advice
Juliane Koepcke, the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash in the Amazon rainforest in 1971, has become a renowned professor specializing in rainforest ecology. Juliane, who was 17 at the time of the crash, was traveling with her mother to the biological research center Panguana when LANSA Flight 50 carrying 99 passengers was struck by severe thunderstorms. Despite the crash, she managed to unbuckle her seat belt and life jacket before falling from 3,000 meters. She then spent four days without food or water walking through the forest, utilizing her father’s lessons on survival techniques. Juliane was finally rescued after 11 days by lumberjacks. Since then, she has made it her life’s work to promote conservation-based programs in Peru. The Juliane Koepcke Foundation, founded in her honor in 2006, supports such initiatives while focusing on sustainable development and respect for local communities and their environment. Juliane believes that no matter how difficult circumstances may seem, everything can be achieved through strength and hope.
