Film Crew Trapped In Peruvian Jungle Stumbles Onto Pre-Incan Prize

Three members of a documentary film team trapped for a month in Peru’s Amazon rain forest say they found a pre-Incan stone city and chunks of gold ore hidden for centuries under the dense jungle.

Rescued Belgian ornithologist Jean de Coninck said the stone city was “larger and more imposing” than the nearby pre-Incan ruins of Gran Pajaten, which are dominated by the jungle-shrouded mountains.

The citadel of Gran Pajaten dates back to 2000 B.C. and was occupied until it was conquered by the Incas in the early 16th century, said archaeologist Adrian Mendoza, director of Peru’s National Institute of Culture in the central district of San Martin.

Coninck said the expedition found large quantities of gold ore near the ruins.

Coninck and two Peruvian scientists - ornithologist Segundo Rivadeneyra and entomologist Mario Callegari - were found weak and dehydrated Thursday by rescuers in the Rio Abiseo National Park.

Survivors say a fourth member of the party, Marcial Huaman, was dragged away by the rain-swollen Abiseo River.

The men were part of a team filming a documentary on the Gran Pajaten ruins for a Lima television station. They separated from the main party to explore an unknown stretch of virgin jungle, but their food ran out before they could reach a settlement and they became too weak to continue.

Expedition members said they lived mainly on butterflies after their food ran out.

Callegari said they came across a 10-foot snake and beat it to death with sticks while it was swallowing a smaller snake. “It was the only day we ate meat,” he said.