Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 27 June 2017

9 still missing after tourist boat sinks in Colombia

By LUIS BENAVIDES would’ve been even a monument overlooking birthday. He said they had thing,” said Barragan, who
CHRISTINE ARMARIO deadlier if not for the quick the lake as family members been planning the trip for rushed to Guatape from
Associated Press reaction of recreational of those missing waited for months and it was about the capital as soon as he
GUATAPE, Colombia (AP) heard news of the ac-
— Scuba divers on Monday cident. “The floor began
continued their search for to shake and everything
bodies from a submerged sunk.” Complicating the
boat in Colombia as au- search is the lack of a pas-
thorities turned their atten- senger list, so authorities
tion to what led the tourist have been relying on fami-
ferry to sink with more than ly members and survivors to
150 passengers on board, report their whereabouts.
leaving at least seven peo- On Monday Civil Defense
ple dead and nine missing. authorities said the num-
Prosecutors were treating ber of people missing was
the wreckage site at the down to 9 from more than
Guatape reservoir outside three times that amount
Medellin as a crime scene a day earlier. Divers are
and looking for any clues sweeping for trapped
as to whether the com- bodies around the wreck-
pany that owned the boat age at a depth of over 30
named El Almirante was meters (100 feet). But the
negligent. Dramatic vid- search in the frigid, algae-
eos circulating on social filled water is slow-going
media show the turquoise- and reaching the crushed
and-yellow-trimmed party first floor deck is dangerous
boat rocking back and Firefighters carry scuba tanks as rescue crews prepare the continued search for survivors in the with such poor visibility.
forth as people crawled reservoir in Guatape, Colombia, Monday, June 26, 2017, where a tourist boat packed with pas- It’s unclear what caused
down from a fourth-deck sengers for the holiday weekend sunk. After suspending their search overnight due to a lightning the boat to capsize.
storm, scuba divers mid-morning Monday had pulled a seventh body from the underwater wreck-
roof. Survivors described age. Authorities’ attention was also turning to the causes of the accident and whether possible Some survivors and people
hearing a loud explosion negligence by the company that owned the boat, called El Almirante, contributed to the acci- who witnessed the tragedy
near the men’s bathroom dent. unfold from the shore said
that knocked out power a (AP Photo/Luis Benavides) the boat appeared to be
few minutes after the boat overloaded. But President
began its cruise around the boats and jet skis who word on their loved ones. to wrap up but instead Juan Manuel Santos, who
giant lake. As water flood- rushed to the scene to pull Jorge Barragan said his ended in tragedy with two traveled Sunday to Gua-
ed on board, pressure built passengers from the fast- three elderly aunts had of his aunts dead and one tape to oversee search ef-
and people were sucked sinking vessel. taken his daughter to still missing. forts, said it was sailing well
under by the sinking ship Residents of the normally Guatape from Bogota to “My daughter said there below capacity. q
The tragedy Sunday festive town laid flowers at celebrate early her 15th was no time to do any-

US, Cuba still cooperating on stopping drug smugglers

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ tons of narcotics, said An- gling and serious crime to have halted, however, effective cooperation that
MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN tonio Israel Ibarra, the head some of the lowest in Latin since President Donald Cuba can provide them,”
Associated Press of Cuba’s National Com- American and the Carib- Trump took office this year. he said.
HAVANA (AP) — The U.S. mission on Drugs. bean. U.S. officials say day- On June 16, Trump an- “They’re certainly the ones
and Cuba are still coop- That number is tiny com- to-day cooperation on nounced a new U.S. policy that benefit most.”
erating to intercept drug pared to drug seizures in halting U.S.-bound human on Cuba that would pro- Cuba and the U.S. signed
smugglers even through neighboring countries, but trafficking and narcotics hibit most new Americans an anti-drug cooperation
the Trump administration it represents a surge due has improved significantly transactions with Cuban agreement last July and
has halted high-level meet- largely to U.S.-Cuban co- since the re-establishment military-linked businesses have held four meetings
ings on stopping the flow of operation on halting ship- of diplomatic relations in and restrict U.S. travel to to strengthen cooperation
narcotics through the Ca- ments of marijuana through 2015, with the two nations’ Cuba. since then,
ribbean, a top Cuban anti- or near Cuban territorial coast guards talking di- Ibarra said Cuba is still will- Ibarra said.
drug official said last week. waters, Ibarra said. rectly to each other and ing to continue high-level The meeting meant to hap-
The amount of drugs seized Cuba maintains a perva- cooperating in real time on cooperation. pen in the first half of 2017 in
by Cuban authorities has sive state-security appara- a regular basis. “We hope that for the sake Washington was cancelled
tripled this year over the tus that has managed to High-level meetings on law- of both countries they’re by the Trump administra-
same period in 2016, to 1.8 keep levels of drug smug- enforcement cooperation not going to give back the tion, he said.q