Having collected water from the nearby village , MacLaren and his companions were almost back at the crash site when they heard the shots . Thinking it was personal ammunition in the luggage exploding in the heat , they continued on their way , and called out to the other passengers , who they thought were still alive . This alerted the insurgents to the presence of more survivors ; one of the guerrillas told MacLaren 's group to " come here " . The insurgents then opened fire on their general location , prompting MacLaren and the others to flee . Hill and the Hansens also ran ; they revealed their positions to the fighters in their haste , but successfully hid themselves behind a ridge . After Hill and the others had hidden there for about two hours , they saw the attackers return to the crash site at about 19 : 45 . The guerrillas looted the wrecked cabin and some of the suitcases strewn around the site , filled their arms with various passengers ' belongings , then left again .