Huallaga River Boats Collision (2021)
 Ayachi boat the day after the collision | |
| Date | 29 August 2021 |
|---|---|
| Time | 5:30 a.m. |
| Location | Huallaga River, Yurimaguas, Loreto, Peru |
| Cause | Collision |
| Outcome |
|
The Huallaga River Boats Collision was a fatal boat collision that killed 21 in Peru. It occurred on August 29, 2021, in the Alto Amazonas Province, west of the Department of Loreto. An additional unknown number of people were described as missing.[1][2]
Description[edit]
The event occurred in the early morning of August 29 in the Alto Amazonas Province, when a motorized ferry collided with a river boat. The boat had approximately 80 people on board. Intense morning fog made it difficult to see.
Petroperú reported that the 80-person boat was called Ayachi, and the motor boat Nauta.[3] Ayachi picked up its passengerws at 1:00 a.m. in Santa María to transfer them to Yurimaguas, while Nauta headed for Iquitos. Ayachi's passengers belonged to an evangelical congregation called Nueva Jesuralén.
Rescue[edit]
At the time of the accident, smaller boats of locals came to rescue the survivors. A passenger from Ayachi relates:
"Some grabbed us from behind, desperate. We were under the boat. We have managed to get out. My colleagues don't. I have lost my wife and seven-year-old son."
Rescuers from the Peruvian National Police and the Peruvian Navy went to the scene, where they managed to rescue 50 people alive. At the beginning 16 were reported missing.[4]
The number of survivors rose to 60 and the number of deceased increased to 23 on August 31.[5] One family was reported to have 14 deaths in the accident[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Río Huallaga: confirman muerte de 11 personas tras choque de embarcaciones". elcomercio.pe. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Petroperú lamenta accidente ocurrido en río Huallaga que dejó muertos y desaparecidos". andina.pe. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Loreto: "En segundos todos caímos. La mayoría no sabe nadar y había niños. Algunos nos agarraban de atrás, desesperados"". elcomercio.pe. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Un choque entre dos embarcaciones en el río Huallaga de Perú deja al menos 12 muertos". telemundo.com. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Yurimaguas: familia pierde a 14 miembros en choque de embarcaciones". El Comercio. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Loreto: Autoridades llegan a Yurimaguas para realizar búsqueda y rescate tras accidente en río Huallaga". rpp.pe. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.