Tourists held hostage in Peru released by locals

More than 100 tourists were released in Peru, held hostage by a local population. They were trapped there for more than a day. A Peruvian minister has now said that the group is free again.

Tourists were on a boat on the Marañón River in the Amazon region. Residents of the village of Cuninico arrested the group in protest of an oil spill. They wanted to force the government to act to fight pollution.

The group of tourists, about thirty of them from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, France and Switzerland, allegedly made up for it during the hostage campaign. They were given food and water.

Initially, the plan was to hold tourists hostage for six to eight days if the oil spill was not resolved. But after the efforts of an ombudsman who defends populations in vulnerable circumstances, the tourists were released. The ombudsman wants the state to start discussions with the local population.

On Friday evening, a spokesman for the community of Cuninico confirmed that the group would be released. “The right and respect for life must prevail. This is why we will provide people with the means to get to their destination,” he told a local radio station.

According to the company behind the pipeline in the area, Petroperu, the damage was intentional. Fifty claims have been registered since December last year. The company promises to clean up pollution and provide residents with drinking water and food.