Dozens of tourists were detained by members of an indigenous community. cuninico It is in the midst of protests against the government’s carelessness following the constant oil spills in the Marañón River. According to the Peruvian newspaper RPP, there are reports from traders that the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, Iquitos, is suffering from famines caused by the blockade of the river by protesters.

He told the newspaper that among the detained tourists, Ángela Ramírez, besides the elderly and children, there were also tourists from different nationalities such as the USA, Spain, France, England and Switzerland. “We were told that this was due to the state’s attention 46 times to resolve the oil spill, and that two children and a woman have now died as a result,” Ángela said.

According to him, community members reported that they would be held for six to eight days until a solution was found and some officials went to the area to fix the oil spill problem.

Ángela’s mother, Araceli Alva, reported that eight days ago she was on a trip with other cyclists in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, trying to travel along the Cunico River and getting stuck in the river. According to him, there are 150 people blocked from following. But Watson Trujillo Acosta, head of the Cuninico community, said the number is 70.

Ángela made a post on Facebook reporting the situation and calming her family members.

“They are kind and respectful to us, but it was the only way to seek solutions for their community. The sooner they are heard, the faster they’ll let us go,” he wrote, noting that he had been detained since 10am. from yesterday. “Physically we’re fine. Help me help them be heard.”

He then made another broadcast, reporting that he had spent the night on the boat and was almost out of water to drink. “The sun has already come out. There are crying babies, the youngest is a month old. Pregnant women, the disabled, the elderly. We no longer have light to charge our mobile phones, no water to clean ourselves,” he wrote, and asked for the situation to be shared on the networks.

Since September, the indigenous people of Cunico have been fighting the oil spill in the region. That month, Peru declared a 90-day state of emergency in the Amazon region of Loreto.

The government’s decision comes after state-owned Petroperú reported traces of oil were found in a river close to the Norperuano pipeline following pollution complaints by locals.

“Today, traces of crude oil have been discovered in the Cuninico River, at kilometer 42 of the Norperuano Oil Pipeline, a possible starting point, in the Uarinas region, state and territory of Loreto,” Petroperú said in a statement on September 16. “

The spill is affecting six communities of the Kokama people in the Cuninico region. It is estimated that about 2,500 barrels of oil spilled from the pipeline.

“The population is helpless because until now they do not eat, the children do not eat because there is no water to cook. There is nothing to eat because the whole valley, the river is polluted, the fish are dying”, then ‘apu’ Galo Vásquez, representative of the indigenous people of Cuninico. “The population has no drinking water.”

*with information from AFP