Three Argentine women, including a minor, died after their boat sank in the Paraná River in southern Paraguay. The incident happened near midnight on Saturday as they returned from a tourist island near Cerrito. Two minors were rescued, but one man remains missing.
The tragic incident occurred in the Ñeembucú department, Paraguay, when the boat carrying Sandra Elizabeth Maidana Careaga, Luz Rocío Maidana Careaga, and the minor Nahiara Ailin Maidana Alfaro sank. According to authorities, the group had spent the day on a tourist island near the town of Cerrito and was heading back to Argentina.
Local commissioner Damiano Cano attributed the accident to bad weather, with heavy rains and wind gusts, plus the boat being unsuitable for the Paraná's currents. “It is presumed that the climatic factor was the cause, because at the approximate time of the shipwreck in this place there was heavy rain with small gusts of wind,” Cano explained.
Two minors aged 11 and 16 who were with the group were rescued alive by local fishermen. Paraguayan authorities continue searching for Roberto Encina, the man traveling with them who remains missing. No major contradictions are reported in the main details, though some sources vary on the minor's exact age, described as 18 or under.
This shipwreck highlights the risks of navigation on the Paraná River during adverse conditions, especially in the border area between Paraguay and Argentina.