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Armed bandits raid Amazon river ship

By: Michelle BaranJuly 27, 2009

Aqua Expeditions said the Aqua, its Amazon river cruise ship, was boarded Sunday by six armed bandits who robbed passengers of money and valuables.

There were 24 passengers, including six Americans, and 21 crew members onboard at the time of the incident. According to Lima, Peru-based Aqua Expeditions, nobody was hurt and the incident lasted less than one hour.

AquaExpeditions-AquaThe ship, which runs three-, four- and seven-day river cruises along the Peruvian Amazon, was scheduled to return Monday to the port of Nauta, where passengers were to disembark and transfer to Iquitos, the capital of Peru’s Amazon region.

Aqua Expeditions said it is offering a refund to all passengers and is handling all their travel arrangements. The company is also offering the affected passengers a free cruise at a future date of their choice.

Peru Minister of Tourism Martin Perez said the government has launched an investigation into the incident.

"My first priority is to ensure that safety measures are immediately set in place to ensure this cannot ever happen again," Perez said in a statement.

The 24-passenger Aqua, one of the most luxurious cruise ships on the Peruvian Amazon, entered service in early 2008 and runs river cruises through the Amazon River Basin year-round. The 130-foot-long ship has 12 suites, including four master suites.

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#7August 28, 2009
On the 4th August 2009 I was on the Aqua when the bandits boarded and robbed the luxury boat for the second time in two weeks it was reported no one was hurt sorry to say this is not true I had a large gun shouved in my ribs and my camera riped from my arm by an armed bandit as a result of this had bad brusing and had to be seen by a doctor the next day I hope the nightmares will stop soon,while laying on the floor we though we would be shot The Aqua, cruise the guides and crew was first class but do not have good memories of our last day not worth your life
#6August 01, 2009
River bandits robbed two tourist ships several years before in the Peruvian Amazon plus one camp in the Peruvian Amazon. This area is so vast that it would be very difficult to secure it! It is worth the small "risk" to go and experience this endangered and enchanting place!
#5July 30, 2009
what type of security measures is Aqua going to have now? will they have 24hr. watch guards on board? will they be armed? who will provide the security .....Army or an outsourced comapany? Will local river rangers be available or of assistance if this happens again. How is Aqua going to ensure the safety of their passangers in the near future, as there is no Phone/cell network available for contact if there is an emergency. I have traveled on Aqua last year and had a wonderful experience, would like to go again, but now im not sure i want to be hijacked in the middle of no-were, where there is severe poverty and no River Police/Rangers.
#4July 30, 2009
This is the first time this kind of situation occurs in the Amazon. Last night local police catch the bandit leader and recovered most of the valuables. In the following days it is almost sure the rest of the band will be captured. Local and national authorities "ensure this can not ever happen again".
#3July 29, 2009
No,it was in the Peruvian side. My friends travelled twice to the Amazon onboard a luxury boat named Amathysta and never had had such a terrible experience! Tourism local companies should work closer with natives, so they may find friends in the river instead of bandits. Poor people, cash refund is not enough but the memories they take with them will remain the unhappinest of all.
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