At least three British tourists were among the group of 70. The vacationers were traveling on a riverboat when natives from Cuninico in Loreto province, Peru’s northernmost region, boarded the ship and took over the ship’s engine. The tourists, including disabled people, women and children, are believed to be from the United States, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
read more
Reports say that the tourists’ belongings remained on board. The Foreign Office confirmed it had helped a small number of British travelers on board the Eduardo 11 when it was seized in a protest. The chief of the tribe had said that they were trying to get attention from the state after continuous oil spills in the Cuninico River. Facebook “[We want] to draw the attention of the government with this action, there are foreigners and Peruvians, there are about 70 people,” Watson Trujillo, the leader of the Cuninico community, told Radio Programas del Perú (RPP Radio). He suggested the tourists could be held for 6-8 days on the boat until a government delegation is sent to assess the damage of a ruptured oil pipeline that he claims killed two children and a woman. A British passenger held on the boat, the Charlotte, had previously said the group was running low on food and water. “Conditions are starting to deteriorate,” he said in a message sent to the BBC. Ángela Ramírez, a Peruvian national who completed a cycling tour was among those “held hostage” by the tribe. She posted on Facebook: “We are in Cuninico, an indigenous jungle community, we are hostage to the community, as there were 46 oil spills, which caused the death of 2 children and 1 woman. “They are Polite AND RESPECTFUL to us, but it is the only way they have found to seek solutions for their community. “The sooner they are heard the sooner they will let us go. “We have been here since 10 in the morning they took the boat and took the battery. “Help me share this, we are fine physically. Help me help them be heard.” On Friday morning he released an update detailing the horrific conditions in which he was being held. He said: “We spent the night here. “We hardly have any water to drink anymore. “The sun is up and it’s strong “There are crying babies, the youngest is 1 month old. “We have pregnant women, disabled people and the elderly. “Now we don’t have light to charge mobiles or water to wash. “Help me.” A Foreign Office spokesman said earlier on Friday: “We are in contact with local authorities and a very small number of British nationals involved in an incident in Peru.”
