Seven dead and 13 still missing in boat tragedy

Columbia: Scuba divers search for bodies as inquiry begins

Scuba divers have continued searching for bodies in a reservoir near the Colombian city of Medellin where a tourist boat packed with more than 150 passengers capsized, leaving at least seven people dead and 13 missing.

After suspending their search overnight due to a lightning storm, scuba divers by mid-morning yesterday had pulled a seventh body from the underwater wreckage.

Authorities were also turning their attention to the causes of the sinking and whether the company that owned the boat, named El Almirante, contributed to the accident.

A flotilla of recreational boats and jet skis had rushed to the scene, pulling people from the boat as it went down and avoiding an even deadlier tragedy.

Dramatic videos circulating on social media show the turquoise-and-yellowtrimmed party boat rocking back and forth as people crawled down from a fourth-deck roof as it sank in a matter of minutes.

Survivors described hearing a loud explosion near the men’s bathroom that knocked out power a few minutes after the boat began its cruise around the giant lake.

As water flooded on board, pressure built and people were sucked under by the sinking ship.

“Those on the first and second decks sank immediately,” survivor Lorena Salazar told local media.

“All we could do was scream and call for help ... it was completely chaotic.”

In the absence of a passenger list, authorities have been relying on family numbers and survivors to report their whereabouts.

MAROONED: Passengers wait for rescue on the upper decks after a cruise boat capsized in a reservoir

People wait for information on those who were on boat