Panama, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and the United States involved in Terror Drill, Killing Three
August 15, 2005
THREE members of Panama’s navy drowned today during a regional drill to test the Panama Canal’s defences against terror attacks.
The Panama Martime Authority said the three sailors drowned in a lake when they became entangled in underwater vegetation.
They were taking part in military manoeuvres in the lake, which is linked to the canal, to test its defences against possible attacks. Their identities were not immediately released.
About 3,500 navy personnel from Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and the United States were also participating in the Panama exercise.
The canal, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, carries five per cent of world trade and saves ships a 12,800 km trip around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.
Reuters
