The hostages were taken in protest against the authorities not providing assistance after an oil spill in September in the Cuninico River, according to AFP. The tourists and their local companions were captured when they were crossing the Marañón River in the same area of the Amazon, in northern Peru. They are kept on board the riverboat they traveled in. To Radio Programas del Perú (RPP), a representative of the hostage takers, Watson Trujillo, says that they have taken about 70 prisoners, but eyewitnesses say about 150 hostages. The leader of the indigenous group that has taken tourists hostage in Peru, Watson Trujuillo, tells RPP that the hostages will be released on Friday afternoon local time. Among the hostages are nationals from the USA, Great Britain, Spain, France and Switzerland. There are women and children among those caught – Treat well and respectfully The tourists who were captured include both children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with disabilities, and will come from Great Britain, Spain, France, the USA, Peru and Switzerland. – We are treated well and respectfully, but this is the only way they had to get closer to a solution for their people, writes Peruvian Angela Ramirez from captivity on Facebook. – The sooner they are heard, the sooner I will be freed, she continued. They must have been told that they will be held for six to eight days until a solution is reached with the Peruvian authorities. The hostage-taking will draw attention to the oil spill in the Cuninico river, says a representative of the local perpetrators. This photo was taken shortly after the release on 16 September. Photo: AFP Lack of water But the situation has already started to become challenging, she reports. – We have almost no drinking water, the sun is strong and children are crying, writes Ramirez. A 90-day state of emergency was declared in the area on 27 September after 2,500 tonnes of crude oil went into the river. About 2,500 indigenous people live in the area in question, and Watson says that two children and a woman have died as a result of the oil spill. Norperuano is one of South America’s largest oil pipes and runs through the Loreto province on its way to the Atlantic coast. State-owned Petroperu, which owns the oil pipeline, believes the spill is the result of sabotage.
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Hostages in Peru are released – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
