哥伦比亚官员表示,一艘载有约170名乘客的四层渡船星期天在麦德林附近一个知名旅游景点的水库发生翻船事故,造成至少六人死亡,31人失踪。

安蒂奥基亚省救灾部门负责人在事发地点对记者表示,有99人被救起,还有40人自行游泳逃生。

事发后,周边游船和摩托艇赶赴出事位置将落水人员救起。

由空军飞行员和消防队员组成的救援队伍在渡船沉没所在水库寻找幸存者。

哥伦比亚总统桑托斯前往事故地点视察时说,事故船只似乎没有超载。

翻船原因目前不详。一些幸存者表示,船沉之前他们听到一声巨响。

星期一是哥伦比亚的假日,因此水库和附近城镇的人比平常要多。

Colombian officials say at least six people are dead and 31 missing after a four-story ferryboat with about 170 passengers capsized on the Penol-Guatape reservoir, a popular tourist destination near city of Medellin, Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at the reservoir, the head of disaster relief for Antioquia province, Margarita Moncada, said that 99 people were rescued and 40 others managed to swim to safety by themselves.

Recreational boats and jet skis rushed to the scene, pulling people from the boat as it was sinking.

Rescue teams, including air force pilots and firefighters were searching for survivors at the reservoir, where the Almirante ferry sank.

Visiting the scene of the accident, President Juan Manuel Santos said the boat did not appear to be overloaded.

The cause of the accident is unclear. Some survivors said they heard a loud noise just before the boat began to sink.

Monday is a holiday in Colombia so the reservoir and nearby town were more crowded that usual.