Survivors told local media that the boat appeared to be overloaded and the passengers weren’t wearing life vests.
BOGOTA, Colombia — Three people died and 30 were missing after a tourist boat with about 150 people on board capsized Sunday near Medellin, officials said.
A rescue operation was underway in the Guatape reservoir. Medellin’s mayor said firefighters and scuba divers were heading to the town. A flotilla of recreational boats rushed to the scene to pull people from the vessel.
Gen. Jorge Nieto told Blu Radio that authorities are still in the process of identifying the victims.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted that the air force and relief agencies were responding to the situation.
“We are ready to provide the assistance required, ” he said.
Dramatic videos circulating on social media show a multi-story ferry rocking back and forth as people crawled down from a third-floor roof as the ship began sinking. A flotilla of recreational boats rushed to the scene to pull people from the vessel.
Eduardo Rivera, director of a hospital in Guatape, told Teleantioquia that three people killed in the accident had arrived at the medical facility.
Survivors told local media that the boat, called El Almirante, appeared to be overloaded and none of the passengers on board were wearing life vests.
The reservoir surrounding the soaring rocky outcrop of El Penol is a popular weekend destination a little more than an hour from Medellin. It was especially busy Sunday as Colombians celebrated a long holiday weekend.
