The Ombudsman asks the Public Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation into the deaths of soldiers who fell in the Ilave River

There death of the six soldiers of the Peruvian army cannot go unpunished, says Jacinto Ticona, head of the Office of the Office of the Ombudsman in Punowho in an interview, pointed out that his institution has demanded a thorough investigation into what really happened with the troops who surrendered to Juli on March 5.

Until last Monday, divers from Marine They recovered the bodies of soldiers who fell in the powerful currents of this river, probably on the orders of a superior, in order to avoid clashes with the demonstrators.

“Our solidarity with the relatives of the soldiers of the Peruvian army who unfortunately lost their lives in circumstances that must be research subject. From Mediatoras soon as we became aware of the facts, we coordinated with the head of the emergency area of ​​the hospital to guarantee the attention of the rescued soldiers,” Jacinto Ticona told Exitosa.

“We made the coordinations, the negotiations. Unfortunately, as the hours passed, the death toll increased. On behalf of the Ombudsman, we have written an official letter to the pursuit so they can start the investigations,” he said.

In the same vein, he felt that the alleged order to cross the river was insufficient, because in recent days the current had increased considerably, adding to the low temperature of these waters.

“It’s a big, mighty river and now that we’re in the rainy season, the flow is higher. In that sense, entering, swimming or trying to cross is irrelevant,” he said.

He also reported that citizens of the Puno region were “rescuing” the military, who were trying to cross the river Additionaland took them to the nearest health center for treatment.

“Those who arrived at the hospital were evacuated by the same residents, as they were rescued as they tried to cross the river and save their lives. They do not affect their physical integrity,” he said. -he declares.

Before finishing, Hyacinth Ticonehead of the Office of the Ombudsman of Puno, said that the entity will follow up this case in order to find those responsible for these deaths of young people whose dream was to defend the homeland.

“The declarations, the demonstrations of the soldiers who were saved and evacuated to the hospital will be decisive. There, we will determine what happened (…) I think that advancing the trials would not be prudent and we hope that the investigations that have been requested will be carried out, ”he said.

A video circulated featuring the testimonies of soldiers who survived after fall into the Ilave river in Puno. In this material, an EP official is observed and heard asking what happened on Sunday March 5 and why they decided to enter this stream.

“I’m going to ask a few questions and I want you to answer me concisely. I want to know why you entered the river”.

To which Private Vilca replies, “The reason we crossed the river is because we had no other way out. There were about 800 to 900 people who surrounded us and started throwing stones at us and from there we started crossing the river. It was the only way we had to save our lives. both officers, troops and non-commissioned officers. When we crossed the river, people insisted on throwing stones at us, the insults started and that’s where we separated our chains and that’s where the current took us.