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The gang stormed the gift shop of the Inkaterra Amazon Reserve lodge in the Madre de Dios region of Peru on Februray 19 at about 9pm. Guide Elías León was killed in the break-in. Governor Luis Hidalgo Okimura described it as a “worrying situation”. He said: “We regret his death because he was a very dear and well-known person in the area.” Jose Koechlin, founder and Chairman of Inkaterra, said: “We are heartbroken by this incident. “We are in close contact with his family to provide support.

“Please be assured that all necessary security measures have been taken to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of our current and future clients and we are being assisted by the local authorities who are actively collaborating with us.”

All 53 guests were rushed out of the hotel to a “secure location” according to the plush hotel, described as a remote eco-luxury lodge with 35 wooden cabins in front of Madre de Dios River.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Inkaterra Amazon Reserve said: “We are grateful for the messages received in solidarity following the grave events that occurred last night at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica in Puerto Maldonado.

“This was an isolated incident, and we are taking immediate steps to upgrade and reinforce security measures to guarantee our clients’ and staff’s safety and wellbeing.

“At 8.20pm last night, a group of armed delinquents broke into the hotel gift shop. Thankfully, our video surveillance system and the speedy action of our staff enabled us to detect the intrusion immediately.

“Our resident manager, Percy Ccopa, and his team brought all of our 53 guests to a secure location, ensuring their isolation from the assailants.

“Tragically for everyone in the Inkaterra family, one of our leading Explorer Guides, Elías León, who has worked with us for more than a decade, lost his life during the break-in.

After giving statements to the police, all our guests were escorted to their cabins by the local police and our surveillance team was engaged to guard the property.”