Upper Amazon: Huallaga River flooding causes shipwreck and missing farmer

A river tragedy has plunged the district of Lagunas , in the province of Alto Amazonas (Loreto), into mourning, after  the sinking of a boat in the Huallaga River , which left  the farmer Guillermo Pereira Caritimari (62) , widely known in the area as  "don Clavito", missing .

 

The accident occurred on Saturday around 5:00 PM , when Pereira was returning from his farm with his wife.  While attempting to dock at the port of Santa Gema in Villa Lagunas , their canoe was caught in  a violent current caused  by the increased river flow due to heavy rains in the San Martín region . The vessel  collided with a poorly parked boat and sank in a matter of seconds .