GUATAPE, Colombia, - Rescue workers
searched on Monday for two people missing after a tourist boat
sank in a reservoir in north-central Colombia, killing seven.
The cause of the accident on Sunday was still unclear,
officials said. Use of the Penol-Guatape reservoir, a popular
site for water sports and tours, was restricted as the search
continued.
Reports of the dead and missing have varied widely since the
accident, as have figures for how many people were onboard the
boat.
"The official figures at this hour are two missing, seven
dead and 158 rescued," the national disaster relief agency said
on Twitter. "Operations continue."
Officials initially reported nine people dead and 28
missing, figures which later dropped to six and 16 respectively.
Some survivors rescued by private boats were taken to different
docks on the reservoir shore and so were not immediately
accounted for, authorities said.
Videos posted on social media showed motorboats coming to
the aid of passengers on the upper decks as the boat rocked from
side to side. Survivors told local television they heard a loud
noise before the boat began to sink.
It is a long holiday weekend in the Andean country and the
reservoir is a well-known destination for families.
Officials were interviewing the captain and investigating
allegations by some passengers that they did not have
life-jackets, Vice Transport Minister Alejandro Maya told
journalists at the scene earlier on Monday.
President Juan Manuel Santos visited rescue crews at the
reservoir, about an hour's drive from the city of Medellin, on
Sunday night.
Source: Reuters