The 21-year-old woman was found more than two miles away from where she fell in at the beauty spot on holiday, with authorities retrieving her body from the river
A young woman was fatally swept away by a swollen river when a tour guide made a fatal error on the last day of her holiday in Colombia.
Budding architect Yudi Alexandra Castellanos Solano, 21, was at a beauty spot while holidaying with her family. The group, which included her mother, brother, aunt, and several friends, was with a tour guide to visit several waterfalls in the area.
But he made the decision to return when the harsh river currents proved to be too difficult to hike through. As they were about to return to the starting point, Yudi fell in the river and was swept away on Sunday.
A search operation was launched which concluded three days later when Yudi’s body was found about 2.5 miles from where she fell in. Authorities retrieved her corpse from the Güejar River in the Sierra de la Macarena National Park in central Colombia.
Her family has since expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities for their handling of the search operation. They claimed it was organised by a small group of first responders who lacked the necessary equipment and experience for this type of rescue.
Colonel Jorge Díaz, commander of the provincial Civil Defence department, explained the area where Yudi fell into the river, known as Salto de Canoa, is hard to reach as it’s located in dense woodland.
The family also criticised the travel company for only supplying a single tour guide. An investigation into Yudi’s death is ongoing.
Yudi just graduated from the Santo Tomás University in Bogotá. The 21-year-old, who came from Tunja in the Colombian Andes, was embarking on her career as an architect.
A university spokesperson said: “May the Lord open the gates of Paradise to our sister, so that she may enjoy that homeland where there is no pain or death, but only peace and endless joy. Our condolences to her family, may Yudi Alexandra rest in peace.”
It comes after a British tourist died at a popular Greek holiday resort where his body was pulled from the water. The 57-year-old man is the third to die at Prasonisi, Rhodes, after he was found in the waters at around midday on Sunday.
Officials said the Brit was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when he was brought to shore. He was rushed to the Gennadi Health Centre by paramedics, but could not be saved and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Authorities from the Lindos Port Authority have launched a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death, with an autopsy ordered to establish the exact cause.