A government statement has confirmed that an accident between two river boats in Peru’s Amazon has killed at least 11 people and left others missing.
According to official station TV Peru, the disaster occurred around 05:30 a.m. local time (10:30 a.m. GMT) on the Huallaga River near Muyuna on Sunday, when a boat carrying people collided with a freight ship in dense mist at daybreak.
The Ayachi, a wooden passenger boat, capsized as a result of the collision.
“So far there is an undetermined number of missing persons, as well as 11 dead and six injured,” the National Institute of Civil Defense said in a statement.
The hunt for individuals who have vanished is being led by firefighters, cops, and sailors.
Survivors were seen sobbing on the riverside as officials took several victims away, according to local television video.
According to the survivors, whole families were traveling in the wrecked boat, including around 20 children.
The passengers were members of a religious group returning to Yurimaguas after taking part in a vigil at Santa Maria, a remote hamlet in the woods.
