A tourist boat with 150 people has sunk in Colombia

A boat conveying tourist in the city of Medelin,Columbia sank on Sunday with 170 passengers on board.About nine persons are confirmed dead while 30 others are missing when the mishap happened in the Guatape reservoir.


According to reports,the tourists were going for a long holiday weekend when the boat sank.A team of firefighters and Columbia's Air force have been deployed to rescue the victims with nearby towns also assisting in the rescue efforts.

Columbia's President,Juan Manuel Santos in a tweet said:

''Faced with emergency in Guatape @FuerzaAereaCol and relief agencies take care of the situation.''

''We are ready to provide required assistance.''

Survivors were taken to the hospital,as most of them sustained injuries.The death toll of the ship named EL Almirante would have been higher if not for the timely intervention of jet skis and recreational boats that quickly rushed to the sinking vessel to rescue victims.

According to officials,99 people were rescued immediately while 40 others swam to the shore themselves.