13 tourists drown in Caribbean near Nicaragua

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NICARAGUA: At least 13 tourist drowned in Caribbean sea as their boat capsized in south-eastern Nicaragua.

All the drowned were Costa Rican nationals , as it sailed between two islands around 43 miles off the coast of south-eastern Nicaragua.

Their boat capsized due to the rain, winds and huge waves. The boat’s captain and owner have been detained on suspicion of breaking a ban on operating while stormy weather hit the region.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the sinking of a passenger boat between Corn Island and Little Corn Island in the Caribbean Sea on 23 January.

Mario Berrios, the Nicaraguan navy’s commander for the southern Caribbean region, said the boat’s captain and owner were detained because the vessel was not permitted to sail.

Local authorities had reportedly suspended boat launches in the area due to high wind speeds that reached 25 to 30 knots (29 to 35 mph) after several days of stormy weather around the remote islands.