4 Americans Among Those Killed in Costa Rica Rafting Accident

Four American tourists were among those killed in a Costa Rican rafting accident that tragically took place over the weekend.

Time reports that the four men who died — Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Denis — were a part of a bachelor party group who were thrown from their rafts and did not survive.

A rafting guide, Kevin Thompson Reid, was also killed.

A friend of the American men who passed away — Anthony Castro, who survived the rafting tragedy — has created a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses to help the families of the deceased.

“What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare. We decided to celebrate Luis Beltran’s bachelor party in Costa Rica on the weekend of October 18, 2018,” he wrote on the fundraising page. “We’ve all been friends for many years and we knew we wanted to do something special for our friend before his wedding. We planned a few activities, one of them being a white water rafting tour on the Saturday of our trip.”

Castro then went on to detail the incident and explain what happened.

“When we first arrived, it was windy and raining, and the professional tour guides advised that we wait a bit before going out on the water. Less than an hour later, we got the okay to head out, and the 14 of us separated onto 3 different rafts,” he recalled. “Within five minutes of being out on the river, all three rafts capsized, and everyone ended up in the water.”

“Everyone struggled to get back on the rafts, with some efforts being successful, but ultimately the rafts continued to capsize due to the immense current,” Castro continued. “Within minutes, all of us were careening down the river with life jackets and helmets just trying to stabilize and find something to hold on to.”

“Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive. 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,” he went on to say. “Unfortunately, not all of us were so lucky. Four of our dear friends drowned in those waters.”

The State Department has since commented on the tragedy, with a spokesperson saying they are “saddened by news” and extend their “deepest condolences” to the families of the men who died.