2016 concluded last Saturday, however, over the last 12 months, unfortunate events claimed Costa Ricans’ lives: these events filled with mourning the entire country. Some of the most outstanding were:
Hurricane Otto
For the first time in history, according to existing records, a hurricane hit Costa Rican on November 24th. The final balance was the death of 10 people in the most affected areas: Upala, Bagaces and the South Zone. In addition, the country reported about 11,000 victims and more than 2,000 kilometers of damaged roads.
Accident in Cinchona
A bus carrying a group of pensioners from the National University (UNA) had a mechanical failure and fell into a spur in Cinchona on October 20th. In the accident, 14 people died and 20 people were injured. The group of pensioners was going to Maleku indigenous reserve where they offered social aid.
Mortal ship
The wreck of a boat with tourists in Corn Island, Nicaragua, killed 13 Costa Ricans on January 23rd. The boat had 32 tourists, out of whom 25 were Costa Ricans. As a result of the accident, the Nicaraguan courts sentenced the captain of the boat to 4 years in prison.
Ravenous fire
A fire in León XIII, in Tibás, claimed the lives of 6 people when, around midnight, a man had an argument with his partner and allegedly set fire to the living room. In the end, the fire consumed more than 70 slums in which almost 300 people lived.
Narco shot-fire
The battle of the drug lords in Limón provoked a shoot-out in which 4 people died, out of which 3 people were innocent and 2 were minors. The events took place in Cieneguita, at a local beach, on October 2nd.
Matapalo’s mourning
Matapalo community witnessed the killing of a whole family. The crime was committed by a man surnamed Salmerón, who murdered American Dirk Beauchamp and his wife Jéssica Durán. He also killed three children under 12, 8 and 6 years old, who received multiple gunshots.
Pain in Guácimo
On August 28th, a man known as “Pirucho” was arrested as responsible for mutilating and beheading an 8-year-old boy. The suspect was captured after 10 hours of searching and authorities confirmed that he had an arrest warrant.