At least 12 people, including three children, lost their lives yesterday when a sudden landslide sank two boats docked at a river port in central Peru, leaving dozens more unaccounted for, officials reported.
The tragic incident occurred at the port of Iparia, located in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali. Police confirmed that one of the boats had around 50 passengers on board, while the second vessel was reportedly empty.
Navy Captain Jonathan Novoa told AFP that nine bodies had been recovered so far, with 25 people injured and possibly up to 40 still missing. Families anxiously gathered at the site, hoping for news of their loved ones as authorities scrambled to determine the full extent of the disaster.
Local media broadcast scenes of heartbreak along the riverbank, showing people searching desperately among floating luggage and scattered merchandise from the submerged boats.
According to Peru’s national emergency operations center (COEN), the landslide was caused by erosion of the Ucayali riverbank at dawn. Rescue efforts are ongoing, with the navy assisting amid fast-flowing waters, whirlpools, and dense morning fog that complicates the operations.
Captain Novoa emphasized the challenges faced by rescue teams: “We are in the flood season, and at the time of the accident there was fog, making the tasks extremely difficult.”
This tragedy is a harsh reminder of the unpredictable dangers communities face along riverbanks in the Amazon, and it has left a region mourning as they await news of the missing.
