The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – According to an official government report, there were 106 people rescued, including the crew, from the Pura Vida Princess catamaran wreck this morning in the Costa Rican Pacific. None are missing, but three foreigners were found dead.
The President of the Republic, Ana Helena Chacón, confirmed the data this afternoon at a press conference on the final outcome of the rescue operation. She identified the victims as Edna Oliver, a 68 year-old-U.S. woman, Ivor Stanley Hopkins, Sharon Johnson, a 70-year-old Canadian woman, and an 80-year-old British man.
Chacón explained that the catamaran left Los Sueños Marina in Playa Herradura bound for Tortuga Island, but strong waves and wind overturned the boat once it reached open water, where the depth and strength of the waves complicated rescue actions.
The Minister of Public Safety, Maria Salazar, explained that after receiving the emergency call, the National Coast Guard and helicopters from the National Air Surveillance Service were dispatched to reach the area as quickly as possible.
The head of the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), Werner Soltz, said the institution issues two daily alerts with information on wind speed and weather so that vessels can plan their routes.
According to Soltz, in the morning they announced that the wind speed in the Central Pacific was between 14 and 18 mph with occasional gusts as high as 40 miles per hour, plus there were choppy sea conditions with high waves that could affect navigation. However, each ship is free to make their trips with full knowledge of the weather, good or bad. (Amelia Rueda)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica
