Four Americans were among five people killed Saturday in a rafting accident on a Costa Rica river, WPLG reported.
The U.S. Department of State confirmed the accident Sunday, the Miami Herald reported.
The four men from South Florida were identified as Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Denis, according to Marco Monge, press officer for Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Organization. A fifth person, Kevin Thompson Reid -- a Costa Rican guide -- was also killed, Monge said.
The men were celebrating a bachelor party when the raft overturned on the Naranjo River, the Sun-Sentinel reported. They were part of a group of 14 tourists in several rafts, WLPG reported. All of the rafts capsized, dumping all of the tourists into the river, the television station reported.
"We are saddened by news of rafting accident in #CostaRica," Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, tweeted Sunday. "We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, and extend our gratitude to Government of Costa Rica for their support in this tragedy."
The victims went on a rafting trip near Quepos, a popular tourist area on the Pacific coast, WPLG reported. Costa Rica has been subjected to heavy rains in recent weeks, the television station reported.
In a tweet, Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado, expressed his "deep dismay" about the accident, the Herald reported.
"Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us," the survivors said in a group statement. "Unfortunately, not all of us were so lucky. Four of our dear friends drowned in those waters."
A GoFundMe page has been created for the victims. More than $10,000 already has been raised.
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