Tourists held by Peruvian indigenous group protesting oil spill are freed, says official
Tourists held by Peruvian indigenous group protesting oil spill are freed, says official
A group of more than 30 young men and women are being hailed as heroes by the country’s President Ollanta Humala.
The rescued tourists, who are from Spain, Germany, the United States, Brazil and other countries, were freed by the Peruvian government on their way to the town of Ica in southern Peru.
In a joint news conference with Minister of Tourism Oscar Collazo, Humala said the group had been trapped for almost a week on the beaches of a river in southern Peru from which the Peruvian authorities had decided to cut off access.
The group, who had taken refuge at an indigenous community, was then rescued by security forces after they had been hit by a powerful electrical storm.
They were then picked up by a helicopter and handed over to the police.
The Peruvian authorities had warned tourists they would not be allowed to enter the area, where a high volume of crude oil seeped out of a man-made well.
The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Luis Correa, said: “We are all glad they have been able to return to their homes. We want to thank all those that have helped them.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Peruvian government had said that it would not release any further details about the group and would only release a list of the names of those who were rescued.
The Peruvian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday afternoon saying that a list of the names of the tourists who had been saved “has been transmitted to the Peruvian authorities, requesting them to verify the information”.
The Peruvian President said on Friday night that the group had been rescued after a “long and risky” escape from the Peruvian coastline.
In a message to Peruvian media, Humala said