Photo credit: ABC News / AFP via Getty Image
Four people are dead and two missing after the tourist boat "Angy" sunk between Isla Isabella and Santa Cruz. The shipwreck occurred near Puerto Ayora, capital of Santa Cruz, one of the islands of the archipelago, a national park listed as a World Heritage Site and a famous marine wildlife sanctuary located in the Pacific a thousand kilometers from the coasts of Ecuador.
‘Two Ecuadorians, a Colombian and an American-Israeli’ died in the shipwreck that occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday,
the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said. “We are working with the respective consulates of the deceased foreigners to provide all necessary support,” he added.
The boat was carrying 37 people, including at least 14 foreign passengers from Israel, Germany, Spain, the United States and Switzerland, according to a local official source who requested anonymity. The maritime authorities and the Galapagos Port Captaincies successfully rescued 31 passengers, but 2 are still missing and presumed dead. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office began an investigative process to clarify the causes of the sinking since the captain of the boat fled after the emergency occurred.
The population of Galapagos has shown its indignation due to the irregularities in the control, since many of the circuit’s boats do not comply with the established safety standards. The most recent sea accident in the area occurred in May, when a diving boat caught fire and sank near the island of Santiago. All 15 tourists and 10 crew members were rescued.
A month earlier, another ship sank in the port of Santa Cruz Island. There were no people on the ship, but 2,000 gallons of fuel spilled from the sinking.
