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2008-08-11 12:50:03
By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press WriterSun Aug 10, 6:14 PM ET
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, the woman told The Associated Press on Sunday.
In a telephone interview from her hospital bed, Nancy Dryden, 67, said her
husband, Daniel Perry Dryden, 66, was killed by four men who boarded their boat
late Saturday 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 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.
The Drydens, who are retired and live near Anchorage, Alaska, had bought the
boat in February. They were equipping the vessel in preparation for a voyage
into the Caribbean and eventually to the eastern coast of the United States.
Dryden said the four assailants may have reached the boat by swimming from
shore and brandished long machetes that "seemed liked curved swords."
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 struggled over to the boat's radio and sent out a distress call. "I said
we need help ... I said my husband was not moving," Dryden recalled.
She said she expects her children to arrive in Guatemala Monday and plans to be
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.