Peru Declares 30 More Dead From Boat Accident After 2-Week Search

The Peruvian Navy suspended a two-week search for 30 people missing since two boats sank in a landslide at a river port, the regional governor said Tuesday.

The final death toll from the December 1 tragedy at the remote port of Iparia, in the Amazonian region of Ucayali, stands at 44, mostly indigenous people. Fourteen were declared dead on the day.

"We are suspending the search efforts until conditions allow us to recover" the remains and return them to their families, Ucayali Governor Manuel Gambini told a news conference.

The search was halted due to intense rain, and the governor said it will likely resume after May, when the rainy season ends."The river level has to drop... and what we will basically be recovering are the skeletal remains," he said.

Only one of the two boats was carrying passengers. It had made a stop on its route through remote communities in the Amazon rainforest authorities have not said exactly how many passengers there were, it's reported that more than 60 people were board, including 20 who survived with injuries.

For two weeks, navy divers, supported by police and local residents, but hindered by fast-flowing waters and whirlpools in the river, unsuccessfully attempted to refloat the vessel to recover the bodies. The landslide, caused by erosion of the river bank, had submerged it.

The last boat accident with such high casualties in Peru was in August 2021.

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