5 DEAD IN COSTA RICA RAFTING ACCIDENT

Four American tourists and a Costa Rican guide were killed in a weekend rafting accident in the Central American country, authorities said Sunday.

Three rafts flipped on the Naranjo river Saturday around 3 p.m. and the five victims were carried away downstream, according to the Judicial Investigation Organism. Other passengers managed to cling to the rafts and some were rescued by another guide in a kayak.

The organization identified those who died as Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Dennis. It did not list hometowns for them. The local guide was Kevin Thompson Reid.

In total, there were 14 tourists aboard the rafts and five guides.

Afghans vote for second day amid violence, technical issues.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN»

Afghanistan’s second day of parliamentary elections marred by violence and delays caused by technical issues came to a close as a roadside bomb on Sunday brought the death toll over the past two days to more than 50, including several children.

Independent Elections Commission Chairman Abdul Badi Sayat congratulated voters for turning out, saying that around 4 million people out of the 8.8 million registered voters cast their ballots over the past two days at 4576 polling centers across the country.

He added that the commission still hasn’t received the final turnout reports from all 32 provinces.

Coalition airstrike targets mosque used by Islamic State.

AL-UDEID AIR

QATAR» An airstrike BASE, by the U.S.led coalition fighting the Islamic State group targeted a mosque in Syria last week because it was determined to be an insurgent commandandcontrol center, the U.S. said Sunday.

The coalition said in a statement that while the law of war protects mosques, the use of the building as a headquarters by the Islamic State caused it to lose that protected status. It said a dozen fighters were killed.

U.S., Turkey to soon begin joint patrols in north Syria.

AL-UDEID AIR BASE,

QATAR» Turkish and American troops could begin conducting joint patrols in a matter of days around the northern Syrian city of Manbij within the coming days, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said Sunday.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters traveling with him that the soldiers’ training is expected to last “several more days,” and then will transition to combined patrols.

Hurricane Willa strengthens rapidly in Pacific off Mexico.

Newly formed Hurricane Willa rapidly gained force and grew into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm in the Pacific off Mexico on Sunday, with a potential to make landfall on a western stretch of coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in the coming days.

The U.N. National Hurricane center said that the storm was “forecast to produce lifethreatening storm surge, wind and rainfall over portions of southwestern and westcentral Mexico beginning on Tuesday.” — Denver Post