18 U.S. tourists held by armed thugs during robbery of hotel

March 1^st, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Five masked gunmen held 18 tourists from the United States for at least an hour as they ransacked rooms, stealing cameras, computers, phones, and cash.

The robbery took place yesterday before 1am in the Samasati hotel located in Home Creek in Cahuita, in Talamanca, Limon.

The robbers, apparently young, arrived at the hotel with their faces covered and armed with firearms.

The Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) reported that the individuals surprised the guard who was stationed at a reception desk about two kilometers from where the bungalow-style accommodations were located.

The guard, who according to the OIJ did not carry a firearm, was taken along with the tourists to a room on the property that was used as a restaurant.  There, two of the masked gunmen held the tourists and guard captive at gunpoint while the other three ransacked the rooms.

The OIJ reported that the tourists, who were mostly young, were not injured, but one of them required medical attention, apparently for a nervous disorder.

The gunmen fled in a vehicle owned by the tour company, and shot the tires out of the other vehicles to prevent them from being followed.  Apparently these gunshots woke the owner of the hotel, who lives nearby and reportedly faced gunshots.

Despite the shooting, no one was injured.

“You have to invest in security, but sometimes people think it is an expense and not an investment,” Francisco Segura, director of the OIJ, told local media outlets while commenting on the crime.