TAQUILE, Peru, July 8 (UPI) -- About 60 tourists stranded on the Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca due to a storm were rescued by the Peruvian navy.
Foreign and Peruvian tourists were left stranded for several hours due to the nearly 40 miles per hour winds caused by the storm. The tourists were transported in patrol boats to the city of Puno near the Bolivian border, Peruvian officials announced Tuesday.
"We are frozen," Susan Fernández, a tourist who called news outlet RPP Noticias after failing to communicate with proper authorities, said.
Naval commander Capt. Juan Jose Gonzalez said he regretted that the weather report, alarming the storm and recommended safety measures, were not communicated to the tourists beforehand. The navy prohibited ships returning from the Taquile Island to Puno due to the winds and high waves.
Gonzalez added that Taquile Island is safe and has tourist inns available for people who stay there.
At nearly 12,000 feet above sea level and about 3,300 square miles, Lake Titicaca, shared by Peru and Bolivia, is referred to as the highest navigable lake in the world.
