At least 23 tourists, including several Costa Ricans, lived moments of desperation in the waters of the Panamanian Caribbean on New Year’s Eve. The tourists were traveling in two marine taxi boats that were reported missing on the afternoon of December 31st, on the shores of Bocas del Toro.
The Panamanian newspaper La Prensa reported that the tourists were Costa Ricans, Argentines, Spaniards and Guatemalans. Apparently, the strong waves and the wind caused the boats to overturn during the afternoon hours. According to the information, tourists were transported from Isla Colón, in Bocas del Toro, to Cayo Zapatilla. Prior to the disappearance, they were in Cayo Coral.
After search operations conducted during night and early morning, in the early hours of Monday the Aeronaval Service of Panama (Senan) managed to find tourists and boats.
The victims told La Prensa that after the overturn they had to swim for 30 minutes to reach a small key located in the area. There they took refuge throughout the night and early morning.
The Panamanian government will initiate an investigation in this regard, since they pointed out that the tour operators knew about the adverse weather conditions. The foreigners were taken to Isla Colón for a medical check-up.