A group of tourists who arrived from the city of Bogotá to Puerto Carreño, Vichada, to spend a few days of rest was about to suffer a tragedy, due to the recklessness of some of its members who decided to throw themselves into the Orinoco River, in the middle of the night, to swim. The timely reaction of the Colombian Navy personnel prevented the drowning of the two people who were further away from the riverbank.
The group of people reached a place known as El Remanso, the urban center of Puerto Carreño, where a natural beach is formed on the Orinoco River, in which, ignoring the recommendations of the local authorities, they decided to enter the river to swim at night.
The current and depth of the tributary in that sector caused one of the members of the group to start moving away of the shore until it was impossible for her to return. Facing the situation, another member of the group decided to jump to help, but the inexperience of the two swimmers, despair and tiredness caused them to start drowning.
The call for help of the other members of the group alerted the Colombian Navy personnel who were nearby, aboard the ship ARC SSIM Julio Correa, who immediately activated the rescue operation and reported pulling the two tourists out of the water and alive. On the beach, naval personnel provided first aid to the rescued through the ship's military nurses, who reported stabilizing them.
