Two tourists killed and 16 injured after massive wave capsizes boat
Twenty-two passengers were onboard the tourist boat when it capsized near the coast of Colombia on 5 March
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Two passengers were killed and 16 were injured when a tourist boat capsized at sea after being bashed by a huge wave.
The authorities said 22 passengers were onboard the tourist boat when it capsized on the morning of 5 March, Jam Press reports.
A huge wave caused the vessel to overturn, leaving passengers stranded in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, some 21 miles from the coast of Colombia.
After rescuing all the passengers from the water, the captain of the tour boat noticed there were two women missing.
The victim’s lifeless bodies were found underneath the overturned vessel minutes later.
According to reports, 16 other tourists were injured in the incident off the coast of Santa Marta, Magdalena Department, Colombia.
After the boat capsized, a boat from the Santa Marta Sports Fishing Club was passing through the waters of the Tayrona National Park at the time.
Crew members heard the screams of people in the sea and rushed to help fish them out of the water.
Footage shows crew members helping survivors onboard the fishing boat.
Fisherman Jader Fontalvo said: “We heard the cries for help and I immediately told the captain to move closer.
“However, our boat was not very big so we could only go up to 10 people.”
Coast Guard officials promptly arrived on the scene to help transport the other tourists to safety.
It was initially believed that everyone had survived the incident, but when everyone was onboard the rescue vessels, the tour boat captain realised the two women were missing.
Minutes later, their dead bodies were found underneath the overturned boat.
The mayor’s office confirmed that the other tourists were all treated at nearby medical centres and are in good general condition.
An investigation into the fatal accident is ongoing.
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