Two hooded gunmen boarded a bus carrying US tourists along the highway that leads to Villa Elisa in Puerto Plata last Tuesday, reports the Listin Diario. The masked men unhanded the travelers of their money, jewelry, cameras and other valuables, making off with thousands of pesos worth of cash and goods.
After forcing the driver to stop the vehicle, the two climbed aboard the bus brandishing Uzi weapons which they pointed at the tourists. According to the owner of El Paraiso Tours, Gunter Manni, once the thieves had robbed all the passengers, they got off the bus and fled into the nearby mountains. The German entrepreneur informed that the tourists were making their way back from Cayo Arena to their hotels aboard a Prieto Tours vehicle when they fell victim to the bandits, whose whereabouts and identities remain unknown. Manni also blamed this type of crime on a lack of safety measures in the Punta Rucia area, especially given the large number of vacationers who wish to visit the remote North Coast scenic attraction. Manni revealed the details of the incident at a reception held by the German embassy Tuesday night at the Iberostar Costa Dora Hotel, a function that was attended by German Ambassador Karl Kohler.
Manni stated that this was the first time in the six years of his company’s operation that tourists had been assailed in the region. He demanded that the Ministry of Tourism and the National Police assign Politur agents to the area to avoid any similar incidents.