Six Australians have been robbed by bandits in a horrific attack on a tourist cruise boat in the Amazon.
A number of tourists from Australia, New Zealand and the US were onboard the Amazon Discovery tour cruise, said Peruvian authorities.
Oscar Garrido-Lecca, the port captain in the river city of Iquitos says police are hunting through the area to find the robbers.
The attackers allegedly used a small craft to reach the Amazon Discovery, boarded and then robbed passengers and crew of goods worth around $26,200 on Thursday morning.
Apart from the six Australians, there were two Kiwis and 21 Americans onboard. There were also 25 Peruvians working on the ship.
A spokesperson from Avalon Waterways, the company that charted the Amazon Discovery said, “Late last week an Avalon Waterways cruise travelling along the Amazon River in Peru was robbed. All guests and staff are safe and were escorted back to Iquitos by the Coast Guard.
“Guests were flown to Lima where hotel accommodation was arranged for them. Counsellors were provided and made available to guests for the remainder of their stay.
“Flight arrangements were made to return guests home as soon as possible and Avalon provided compensation and emergency funds to cover costs of their journeys.
“The safety of our passengers is always Avalon’s top priority and extra security measures have been implemented for future Amazon cruises. Avalon is assisting police and other authorities with their investigations and has been in contact with local embassies.”
The line said the Aussies were one their way back to Australia.
