young couple attacked while in equador

[sgt rock]

just wanted to comment and share a story that i read recently on cnn...
http://sudamericadventure.blogspot.com/


a young couple that decided to travel and while in equador were attacked while on the beach....


Britt Leis and his fiancee Leah Koehn were attacked walking on the beach by men in the town of Esmeraldas on Ecuador’s northern region.

Late yesterday, Koehn posted a blog about Britt’s condition. Britt and Leah are in California, even though they are from Oregon. Britt has undergone three surgeries so far.

“I was informed by the head surgeon that there is no certainty he will survive,” Koehn wrote “That being said, he was conscious and talking last night, and I have continued to be amazed by his strength.” That was her last blog post on Monday.

The two are reportedly now at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California.

The blog is located at http://sudamericadventure.blogspot.com/.

No details are yet out about Koehn’s condition.

Reports here say that “Britt was listed in serious condition at Loma Linda Medical Center, five days after being stabbed more than 24 times.”

Reportedly, “Leis was stabbed several times from his neck down and left for dead. His fiance also was beaten and assaulted. With a background as a Spanish medical translator at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, she was able to get help.”

Leis was reportedly rushed to a hospital in Quito. Doctors aren’t sure how many stabs he had and say it could be more than 24. “There they discovered, no vital organs hit,” his father said. “Damage, but no vital organs.”

Funds in Leis’s name have been set up at the Bank of America and Bank of the Cascades for donations. No links to those donations could be located by time of press.

Send your prayers for Britt and Leah.

[TACODOC]

Sad story, my heart goes out to them.

[DiploStrat]

It is very fashionable for experienced "adventure" travelers to ignore the travel warnings published by the Department of State, the British FCO, etc.

Bad idea. While I would be the very last to discourage anyone from traveling, it is silly not to inform yourself a completely as possible. Manabi and Esmereldas have always been rough areas.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...06.html#safety

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-...ySecurity&pg=2

One of the most basic rules is always that, if you are the only one around, then you need to be somewhere else.

EDITED TO ADD: I do not know the exact circumstances of this terrible attack and nothing that I have posted is meant to imply that the couple did anything to invite attack. My point is that it is always best to be as much aware of one's circumstances as possible.

[UK4X4]

Always sad to hear about travellers being attacked whether in a

Burbon st alley or a remote beach abroad,

luckily it seems both will make a full recovery, but the mental scarring will take a lot longer.

Whilst I agree with heeding government warnings about bad areas.....

are there any countries / cities left listed as being safe ?


We are in Oman and my wife got her bum grabbed by a local last weekend as she bent over the babies chair to give her a bottle..

I was absent just getting a parking ticket.....there were other europeans passing by at the time and they did nothing !

We spotted the old guy further down the street, but I drove by much to the horror of my wife that I was not going to anything about it....

My reply was that she should have been more aware of her surroundings and the next time it could be a lot worse......

The worst thing was she had wanted to buy an Abeya ( the long black all covering garment the local ladies use) in the market but I said she was not ever dressed too provacatively for Oman.......

Only to be proven wrong....I see an Abeya on her list for this weekend

[DiploStrat]

Nope, and that includes the US (remember all of the Brits attacked in Florida), Europe, and the rest of the world.

Ironically, the "Third World" can sometimes actually be safer than the "developed" world. You must, however, always be as aware of your surroundings.

(I say this with a bit of chagin, as I just had my pocket picked, for only the second time in my life, in Paris.) ;-(

[UK4X4]

"I say this with a bit of chagin, as I just had my pocket picked, for only the second time in my life, in Paris"

and that comming from an experienced traveller in a "safe" country made me grin....

[DiploStrat]

I wasn't grinning!

In my defense, all I lost was credit cards - no money, passports, etc. I did lose my emergency medical response guide that I have carried for years.

Ironically, I had just noted the "Beware of Pickpockets" sign.

[maxama10]

Any links to the brits in Florida? Theres some parts of the US I'd stay out of but I lived in Florida and can only think I'd be scared in maybe parts of Orlando and parts of Miami?

I'm pretty appalled though, at both.

[UK4X4]

Typically french then ...crap signs....8-)

The pick pockets were probably imigrants from one eastern european country or the other, most of the original local gypsy's prefer more southern climes like Marseille or Barcelona

In desperate need of a giggle...2 weeks fault finding my new second hand jeepfor the wife.......and today....head gasket..just great....

Anyway, back to the thread....

[calamaridog]

Story Highlights

U.S. officials say man was stabbed repeatedly, his fiancée raped and beaten

Relative tells media that couple was attacked on beach in northern Ecuador

Fiancée writes in blog that her companion may not survive despite three surgeries

State Department site advises caution when traveling to parts of northern Ecuador

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/21/...eref=rss_crime

And yes, this can and does happen anywhere, including here in the states.