Colombia: At least 9 dead, 30 missing after tourist boat sinks in reservoir

At least nine people are killed and nearly 30 are missing after a tourist boat packed with 170 passengers sank in a reservoir near the Colombian city of Medellin on Sunday, officials said. The passengers were reportedly out touring for the holiday weekend.

A search and rescue operation is on for the missing passengers as firefighters from nearby cities and air force pilots have also joined the rescue team to search for survivors at the Guatape reservoir where the four-storey ferry sank. 

Soon after the incident, a flotilla of recreational boats and jet skis reached the scene and began pulling people from the sinking boat as it sunk further in the water. The flotilla avoided a deadlier tragedy after the El Almirante ferry sank.

There were several videos of the incident circulating on social media, which showed a turquoise and yellow trimmed party boat rocking back and forth as people attempted to crawl down from the fourth-floor roof when the ferry began sinking in the water.

"Those on the first and second floors sank immediately," a female survivor who wasn't identified by name told Teleantioquia. "The boat was sinking and all we could do was scream and call for help," according to the Associated Press reports.

The head of the disaster response agency in Antioquia state, Margarita Moncada, said that around 99 people were rescued and at least 40 others managed to reach the shore on their own, according to a preliminary report. Moncada said that all of the rescued passengers were in good condition.

Moncada also confirmed that at least nine people have been killed till now, and nearly 28 others are still missing.

Reports state that it is still not clear what caused the boat to sink, however, the survivors said that the ferry looked overloaded and nobody onboard the vessel was wearing a life vest when the incident occurred.