iStock/Thinkstock(MEDELLIN, Colombia) — At least nine people are dead and 28 missing after a tourist boat capsized near Guatapé, Colombia, according to emergency officials.
Other boats quickly came to the rescue, saving 99 people immediately after the sinking, the head of the Antioquia Department’s Disasters Prevention unit said, and another 40 people swam to shore.
At least 25 people were transported to hospitals, the official said.
Divers with the police and Army helicopters assisted in the search and rescue operation.
.@FuerzaAereaCol apoya a esta hora rescate de personas de embarcación que naufragó en Guatapé, Antioquia #FAC pic.twitter.com/f5yowjBcMe
— FuerzaAéreaColombian (@FuerzaAereaCol) June 25, 2017
An eyewitness told the BBC the boat appeared to sink in less than five minutes.
The cause of the shipwreck was unknown as of Sunday night.
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