“After a dialogue with her [head] of the Cuninico communities, our request to release people has been accepted,” the Peruvian ombudsman’s office said on Twitter. Nationals manager Watson Trujillo confirmed the deal to local media. “The right to life and respect for life must be paramount. In light of this, we will provide facilities so that the people on board can be transported to their destinations,” Trujillo said. “This measure, which is being taken for the second time, is due to the continuous oil spills in the Cuninico River. We have been to the boat to inform [the tourists] why is this happening: because of the carelessness of the president,” the leader added. He said the leaks affected not only the roughly 1,000 residents of his village, but also nearly 80 other communities, many of which have no running water, electricity or phone lines. None of the tourists were physically injured, according to local media. Among those arrested while traveling on the boat were pregnant women, a one-month-old baby and people suffering from diabetes and disabilities. Media reports said the number of detainees ranged from 70 to as many as 300, including between 17 and 23 foreign nationals, including Swiss, Americans, Spanish and French. Charlotte Wiltshire, a British woman, said earlier on Friday that they had run out of food and water, sanitation facilities were limited and there were “sick and elderly people we need help for, not just for us – we are desperate to go too – but we need help for the Peruvians as well.” However, Peruvian Prime Minister Anibal Torres made light of the incident on Friday, accusing the Cuninico community of cutting the oil pipeline to “claim compensation later”. His statement was rejected by indigenous leaders whose communities live largely on fishing, hunting and farming and have been badly hit. The spill occurred on the state-owned NorPeruano pipeline, which is more than 40 years old and has been the target of much criticism for its poor maintenance. Oil spills are common in the pipeline that carries crude oil from the rainforest to refineries on the Pacific coast. Continuous oil spills have had health effects. Children and adults in Loreto’s four main river basins (Pastaza, Marañón, Tigre and Corrientes) were found to have levels of toxic heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, well above safe standards, according to blood and urine tests carried out from the health of Peru. Ministry in 2016.
