Tuesday, August 12, 2008

American Tourist Killed In Guatemala

Robbers armed with machetes hacked a U.S. tourist to death and seriously wounded his wife in an attack aboard the couple's sailboat in northeastern Guatemala.

Nancy Dryden, 67, said her husband, Daniel Perry Dryden, 66, was killed by four men who boarded their boat while it was anchored in Lake Izabal. "They poked us and stabbed us with the machetes, and they were asking for money, specifically dollars," said Dryden, who was listed in stable condition at a hospital in the lakeside town of Morales.

The four assailants reached the boat by swimming from shore and brandished long machetes. The thieves were apparently unhappy with the take. "We had a few quetzales (Guatemala's currency), but we had no dollars with us on the boat," Dryden recounted.

After assaulting the couple, the men demanded she hand over the keys to the vessel, which has an auxiliary motor. When she didn't-- she was unable to tell whether they wanted the keys to the boat, or a small dinghy the couple used to get to shore-- the men left, also apparently by swimming.

Dryden was later transferred to the United States for medical care. Assistant Police Commissioner Luis Say said the attack is being investigated. Located near Guatemala's Caribbean coast, Lake Izabal is popular among tourists for its jungle scenery and wildlife.

In March, protesting farmers briefly kidnapped four Belgian tourists at Lake Izabal to press for the release of a jailed activist. They were released unharmed.

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