British tourists in their 70s held hostage by Amazon tribe freed

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a group of tourists in Peru who were held hostage by protesters angry over oil spills in the Amazon rainforest have been freed.

At least three British tourists are among the group of 70.

The holidaymakers were traveling in a riverboat when local people from Cuninico in Loreto province, Peru’s northernmost region, boarded the vessel and took control of the ship’s engine.

The tourists, including disabled people, women and children, are believed to be from the US, Spain, France, the UK and Switzerland.

“After a dialogue with [head] from the communities of Cuninico, our request to release people has been accepted,” officials in the Amazon region said.

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Reports indicate that the tourists’ belongings were left on board. The Foreign Office confirmed it was helping a small number of British passengers who were on board Eduardo 11 when it was detained in protest.

The tribal leader said they are trying to get the state’s attention after the constant oil spills in the Kuniniko River.

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“[We want] to attract the attention of the government with this action, there are foreigners and Peruvians, there are about 70 people,” Watson Trujillo, a leader of the Cuninico community, told Radio Programas del Perú (RPP Radio).

He suggested the tourists could have been held for 6-8 days on the boat until a government delegation was sent to assess the damage from a ruptured oil pipeline, which he said killed two children and a woman.

One British passenger detained on the boat, the Charlotte, said earlier that the group was running low on food and water.

“Conditions are starting to deteriorate,” she said in a statement sent to the BBC.

Angela Ramirez, a Peruvian national completing a cycling tour, was among those “held hostage” by the tribe.

She posted on Facebook: “We are in Kuniniko, a local jungle community, we are hostages of the community because there were 46 oil spills that killed 2 children and 1 woman.

“They are NICE AND RESPECTFUL to us, but this is the only way they have found to seek solutions for their community.

“The sooner they are heard, the sooner they will let us go.”

“We’ve been here since 10 in the morning, they took the boat and took the battery.

“Help me share, physically we are fine. Help me help them be heard.”

On Friday morning, she posted an update detailing the horrific conditions in which they were being held.

She said, “We spent the night here.

“We have almost no water to drink anymore.

“The sun is up and it’s strong

“There are crying babies, the youngest is 1 month old.

“We have pregnant women, disabled people and elderly people.

“Now we have no light to charge our mobile phones and no water to wash ourselves.

“Help me.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said earlier on Friday: “We are in contact with local authorities and a very small number of British nationals involved in an incident in Peru.”