Overview
- Search operations continued on March 4 for Engels Huarany Pinazo Mendoza, who went missing after a March 1 boat sinking on the Picha River in Megantoni, Cusco.
- He had departed Kirigueti for Mayapo when the peque peque’s engine failed near Pankariato around 12:20 p.m., the vessel took on water and sank, and he was carried away by the current.
- Three fellow passengers—a parent, the child student and another teacher—survived and notified local authorities, prompting immediate response.
- Seguridad Ciudadana de Kirigueti, sector police and the Peruvian Navy are conducting river searches, which are hindered by difficult access and water conditions.
- Family members are appealing to the Defense, Education and Interior ministries for drones and funding, citing a lack of fuel despite a municipal boat and estimating gasoline costs above 1,000 soles, as residents call for life jackets, vessel checks and stronger emergency protocols.