Riverboat capsizes, 15 passengers drown

Fifteen people drowned, including several young children, and many more are still reported missing, after the riverboat they were travelling on capsized during a storm on the Tapiche River in the Requena district, Loreto department. Twenty-five people are known to have survived. Many of those drowned were local authorities, including two town councilmen and a police chief. Rescue operations by the Navy’s river patrols and a helicopter were made difficult due to strong winds. The boat was carrying some 60 passengers, many more than its size permitted.