16 tourists robbed and thrown into the sea in the Colombian Pacific – Diario La Página – 2024-09-04 08:14:13

A group of criminals robbed 16 passengers from a boat traveling in the Colombian Pacific, whom they then threw into the sea, the Colombian Navy reported on Saturday.

The commander of the First Coast Guard Station in Buenaventura, Lieutenant Commander Victor Becerra, said that the incident occurred with a vessel that was covering the route between Buenaventura, the main port on the Colombian Pacific, to Pizarro, in the neighboring department of Chocó, bordering Panama.

According to the victims’ account, five of the passengers (four men and one woman) intimidated them with firearms, stole their belongings and then threw them into the sea.

The criminals stole the boat and fled in it, and the 16 people left adrift swam to shore, where they were found by military personnel, Becerra said in statements released by the Navy.

The rescued people, who called for help using life jackets and scarves, were taken aboard a Coast Guard unit to Buenaventura.