Tourist boat carrying 170 sinks

A TOURIST boat carrying over 170 passengers sank on Sunday June 23 in the Antioquia reservoir about 68 kilometers from Medellin, Colombia a favorite destination for Panama visitors.

It sank  at the El Peñol dam Guatapé, a tourist site in north-west Colombia, for unknown causes, said the Colombian Air Force

The  sinking of the four-deck “El Almirante” was recorded  on a video that began to circulate on social networks and showed ozens of boats approaching the to rescue passengers and crew

“The situation seems to be serious,” a source from the Antioquia governor told AFP.

People who had been rescued were transferred to the municipal hospital.

“Our aircraft and crews are ready and ready to evacuate the most serious requiring immediate attention, “the Air Force said.

There is  a large influx of tourists in the area because Monday is a holiday in Colombia

The mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez, announced the sending of a relief team led by A fire captain and five divers.