A tourist boat sank with 150 people on board near the town of Guatape which is about 28 miles east of Medellin, colombia, reported by CNN.
According to the agency, at least nine people were killed as a result of the capsizing. Around 122 people out of 170 have been rescued and approximately 28 are missing still. The police commander Jorge Hernando Nieto told to BlueRadio that approximately 30 people are missing.
Scuba divers and firefighters were sent for help
A rescue operation is currently being carried out and an Air Force helicopter was sent to the wreckage of the ship.
According to the Mayor of the Medellin District Center, five scuba divers and the firefighters from the six neighboring towns were dispatched to help by the National Fire Service. Videos on social media showed the disaster of the multi-story Boat as people were running to the top deck to save their lives while it was sinking.
Efforts to find those still missing after tourist boat sank in Colombia are suspended overnight due to thunderstorms https://t.co/9AHckOEdlD pic.twitter.com/FB8UrSh9dn
— CNN (@CNN) June 26, 2017
Eye witnesses
According to the Head of DRA (Disaster Relief Agency), Margarita Moncada, around 134 people were saved following the crash and three were taken to the hospital, but they are out of danger.
The cause of the incident is still under investigation by the authorities. Those who managed to escape told the local media that the vessel (named El Almirante) was packed over capacity and none of those on board had lifejackets.
According to the victims saved from the tragedy, an explosion occurred in the men's bathroom, and the cause of that power has gone for few minutes while the boat was cruising around the giant lake.
Due to flooding, pressure built on the boat, as a result, people got sucked under the sinking boat.
According to the witnesses, El Almirante broke into two parts, and captain of the boat told everyone to come to one side of the vessel, as reported by the El Tiempo newspaper.
6 people are dead and over a dozen still missing after a boat sank in Colombia pic.twitter.com/wyJ4NwWaHG
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 26, 2017
People who were on the first and second floors sank immediately, and rest were shouting and calling for help, said Lorena Salazar, a survivor of the incident.
The residents of the town told Blu Radio Network that El Almirante had already sunk at the dock about three months ago, but they fixed it and made it work normally. It was confirmed by Carlos Ivan Marquez, an official of NRMU (National Risk Management Unit), that no minors perished in the incident and the deceased were all Colombians.
Guatape is a tourist destination and many tourists visit it for relaxing weekends. Monday was a holiday there. Visitors usually come there for one to two-hour cruises on the reservoir and to jet-ski and fish.
