At least six people drowned after their boat capsized in the predawn hours of September 4 in a river that runs through east-central Peru's jungle region of Ucayali, local authorities confirmed, Report informs referring to Xinhua.
According to the head of the Port Captaincy, Jonathan Novoa, the boat, identified as CR, left the port of Pucallpa at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday local time bound for the city of Atalaya, but suffered an accident around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, possibly colliding with an object submerged by a rise in the river, state agency Andina reported.
Some 48 people, including several teachers and minors, were on board the vessel, which had a capacity for 68 passengers and had met all safety requirements, such as having life jackets, according to authorities.
The tragedy came on the heels of another similar incident Sunday, when a boat sank in northern Peru's Loreto region, killing at least four people, including a minor