03/04/2021 11:20
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 03/04/2021 11:20
The rain on the border between the province of Salta and Bolivia was incessant this Thursday morning and the flow of the Bermejo River increased.
That is making it difficult to search for the
five people who remain missing
since the barge in which they were traveling was wrecked this Wednesday at the height of the Salta town of Aguas Blancas.
The precarious boat carried approximately twenty people on board, including
a baby barely a month old
, and was trying to cross to the Bolivian side illegally, reports the newspaper El Tribuno.
On Wednesday night the Volunteer Firefighters of Aguas Blancas found
the body of an
adult
man
who had not yet been identified.
An operation made up of more than
one hundred personnel
from Police Station 26, the Lake and River Division, Volunteer Firefighters, National Gendarmerie and volunteer rescuers were in charge of the search tasks last night, under the supervision of the Police Regional Unit 2 of Oran of Salta.
When crossing a palisade, the boat suffered a breakage.
Photo Gendarmerie.
The barge had departed on Wednesday morning from Aguas Blancas and was heading to Bermejo, Bolivia, via the Bermejo River.
The Bermejo river is particularly swollen due to the intense rains registered in the area, which caused the strong current to
make it difficult for those in charge of the precarious boat
, details the Télam news agency.
When crossing a palisade, the boat suffered a break, which caused many of its occupants
to jump into the river to save their lives by
swimming towards the shore.
But several people continued on board, downstream.
A 30-year-old man who was rescued and taken by helicopter to the shore on the Argentine side stated that he had seen at least six people arrive ashore on the Bolivian side and others
were dragged by the water, including his one-month-old son. life
.
In addition, the sources revealed that, according to the account of some of the people who managed to get to safety after jumping from the boat and reaching the shore,
women and children
remained in the boat
.
"I don't know how many left or how many of us traveled, they say 17 or 18. The rubber was six tires," said a woman.
Photo Gendarmerie.
A woman who managed to get out of the river's waters spoke with media in the area and assured that there were
two missing babies
, says Télam.
"I don't know how many left or how many of us traveled, they say 17 or 18. The rubber was six tires, there were many of us. People began to get nervous, cry and scream, due to the effect of the current and the waves, until they began to jump, "said the woman.
LGP