9 die as boat capsizes in Colombia

Most of the 170 passengers are rescued or escape by themselves

BOGOTA - At least nine people were dead and 28 others went missing after a tour boat with some 170 passengers onboard capsized on Sunday afternoon in northwest Colombia. Officials did not yet say what caused the El Almirante to go down in the Penol-Guatape reservoir in the tourist town of Guatape, in Colombia's northwest department of Antioquia.

"At the moment we officially have nine people who have been found dead," and "approximately 28 people reported missing", said Margarita Moncada, head of the disaster prevention department of the Antioquia regional government.

She said the boat was carrying 170 people, most of whom were rescued by other boats or escaped by themselves.

Eduardo Rivera, who is in charge of a state-run hospital in the town of Guatape, said another 15 people were injured and recovering at the facility. Colombian air force helicopters were dispatched and stood ready to evacuate the most seriously injured.

The El Almirante, a four-deck vessel, was taking visitors on a tour of the reservoir, 80 kilometers east of the central city of Medellin, when it began to tilt sideways, then gradually sank.

Survivors on local television reports said they heard a loud noise before the boat began to sink and that not all of them had life vests.

The ship sank extremely quickly, according to Luis Bernardo Morales, a fire service captain involved in the rescue effort. "It all happened in a few minutes."

Overloaded

Videos circulating on social media showed that the boat rocked from side to side as people crawled down from the upper decks when it began sinking into the water, and vessels of all sizes were rushing to the site in an attempt to help the victims.

Some people who witnessed the tragedy from the nearby shore said the boat appeared to be overloaded but President Juan Manuel Santos said it was sailing below capacity.

"I have been informed that the boat had a capacity greater than the number of people on board, so that it was not due to overloading" that the craft sank, he told reporters while visiting the scene of the sinking.

"Nobody really knows what happened," said Santos, adding that naval officials were brought in to carry out an investigation and divers would continue searching for people all night.

"The way it sank, which was very quick and sudden, raises questions," he added.

Santos also said that "there are no children" among the dead so far.

The scale of the accident led to the mobilization of Colombia's armed forces, said Victoria Eugenia Ramirez, secretary of the government of Antioquia.

"We have a full operation underway. The rescue operation includes the Interior Ministry, air force, army and police. The El Almirante did not crash into another, it just sank," Ramirez added.

A local vendor told the Caracol News network that it was not the first time the boat has sunk.

"This boat sank three months ago, but at the pier, with no passengers. The owners fixed it and it continued to operate," said Marylin Usme.

The large reservoir, about an hour from Medellin, is one of Antioquia's main tourist draws. It was especially busy on Sunday as Colombians celebrated a long holiday weekend.

Guatape is a popular Andean resort town, known for its water sports and recreational activities.

Xinhua - Ap