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COSTARICA-US-TOURISM-ACCIDENT
Four Americans dead in Costa Rica rafting accident
SAN JOS, Oct 21, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Four American tourists were
killed and a fifth Costa Rican tourist is missing after a river
rafting accident in the Central American country on Saturday, the
Red Cross said.
The alarm was raised Saturday afternoon following the
accident in a swollen river on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast,
Alexander Morales of the Red Cross told AFP.
“Fourteen tourists and three guides on board three rafts, and
a kayaker, were on the Naranjito river in Quepos, Puntarenas when
the accident occurred,” Alexander Morales told AFP.
Another spokesman, Johnny Zamora, confirmed the American
tourists had yet to be identified.
Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado expressed his “dismay”
at the incident and said in a statement that he had instructed
authorities to provide all necessary support to the victims’
families.
The statement added that Costa Rica’s foreign ministry has
been in communication with the US consulate in the capital San
Jose, some 55 kilometers (35 miles) from Quepos.
Rafting is hugely popular with tourists in Costa Rica, which
is currently in its wet season, causing waterways to flood.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1120 hrs