A Spanish tourist has described how an armed gang calling themselves “river pirates” robbed her and her family aboard a boat on the Amazon River in Peru. Elisabet de la Almudena said on TikTok that four assailants with pistols and a machine gun boarded the vessel on 14 May, forcing passengers to drain their bank accounts via mobile banking apps.
De la Almudena was travelling with her parents, six-year-old daughter, and about 14 other Spanish tourists, including children and elderly people. She said the gunmen took them further into the jungle after the robbery and left them stranded for an hour. A local family eventually helped them reach Iquitos in the early hours.
The tourist alleged that the tour company, Canopy Tours Iquitos, had no emergency protocol or GPS unit on the boat. In a statement, the operator said the incident was beyond its control and was reported immediately to authorities. It added that it was improving security measures, including GPS monitoring, and working more closely with the River Police.
The risk of armed robbery in Peru is low, but the US State Department advises caution due to crime and kidnapping risks in certain areas. The Spanish embassy in Peru could not be reached for comment.
