Four Florida men visiting Costa Rica for a bachelor party — including the groom’s brother — died Saturday in a rafting accident along with one…
Four Florida men visiting Costa Rica for a bachelor party — including the groom’s brother — died Saturday in a rafting accident along with one of their local guides, authorities said.
Groom Luis Beltran and 13 of his closest friends and relatives embarked on a whitewater rafting trip on the Naranjo River after heavy rains and dangerously high water levels briefly delayed their trip. Within minutes of setting out, three of the boats capsized.
The groom survived but his brother, Sergio Lorenzo, and three Miami-area friends — Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso and Andres Denis — were carried away by the rushing water, Today reported.
Kevin Thompson Reid, one of the five guides on the trip, also died in the accident. His boss told NBC he was one of the rafting company’s most skilled guides.
“What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare,” Chris Comas, who survived the tragedy, said in a statement.
Beltran’s friends, many of whom he’d known since high school, arrived in Costa Rica from the U. S. on Oct. 18 and had been renting a house in Playa Hermosa de Jaco.
“Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive. Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us,” Comas said of the ordeal.
Following the tragedy, friends set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for the families of the victims to cover funeral expenses. The State Department shared its condolences on Twitter.
“We are saddened by news of rafting accident in #CostaRica. We can confirm 4 U. S. citizens died as a result of the accident. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, and extend our gratitude to Government of Costa Rica for their support in this tragedy,” tweeted U. S. Department of State spokesman Heather Nauert.
