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Just over a month ago, American Nancy N.* traveled to Guatemala. The 29-year-old attended a yoga retreat there. But apparently something went wrong during a kayaking trip on Lake Atitlán. Because: There has been no sign of the young woman’s life since. Authorities believe she drowned.
N. left on a trip with nine other people on the morning of October 19. The group rented ten kayaks and started paddling. It is unclear who all belonged to the group. What is certain, however, is that N. most likely never came ashore again.
No one wants to say what happened
The owners of the kayak rental company are now speaking out against American broadcaster ABC 7. Lee and Elaine Beal say: “When the group returned, there were only eight people. But we could see two individual kayaks about 100 yards away.” It is said to have been N. and another woman.
“We watched them paddle until we lost sight of them,” Lee said. A short time later an emergency signal was activated. The woman Nancy N. was traveling with was led out of the water by a yoga instructor. However, there was no sign of Nancy.
“The woman was clearly upset and didn’t say a word to us,” said Elaine. The rest of the group also didn’t want to talk to the owners, says Lee: “It was almost as if they immediately shut down and decided, ‘We won’t say anything.'”
The owners also report that they contacted the group’s hotel the next day because they had not paid for the kayaks. There they were told that the group had already broken up and left. “I just don’t understand why you have to leave within eight or 12 hours of the accident,” says Elaine.
“Why aren’t witnesses coming forward?”
There has been no sign of life from the 29-year-old since then. Only her empty kayak was discovered. Nicky N.*, the sister of the missing woman, told the broadcaster that the family had contacted several members of the group. But no one said much. The woman last seen with N. apparently did not respond at all to the family’s questions. “The first thought is that it is a possible drowning. But then the question arises: if she drowned and nothing nefarious happened, why don’t witnesses come forward? We know there are people who saw what happened,” says Nicky.
The Public Prosecution Service in Guatemala states that a witness said that N. went swimming and drowned. The family does not believe this. None of the witnesses they spoke to saw N. get out of the kayak. The official report sent to the family contained no such statement.
The family therefore started a private search from the water and from the air – without success. Guatemala’s government said 95 percent of the lake had been searched on Wednesday. Their efforts have now been halted. (Mrs)
*Name known
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
