Fishing for corpses in Colombia's Sanquianga river

Fishing for corpses in Colombia's Sanquianga river
10 June 2013 Last updated at 19:45 ET

By Arturo Wallace
BBC Mundo, Bocas de Satinga, Colombia

Angel Segundo Hernandez has been pulling bodies out of the Sanquianga river to prevent them from drifting all the way into the sea.

Located in a remote corner of Colombia's southern Narino province not far off the Pacific Coast, the village of Bocas de Satinga relies on its riverside location for transport.Everything arrives at the village by water: food, petrol, clothing... and dead bodies.

"There were days in which I'd fish out two or three corpses," says local resident Angel Segundo Hernandez.

The 79-year-old, who is better known by his nickname, Chain, has been pulling bodies out of the Sanquianga river for more than a decade. He says the worst period was between 2001 and 2004, when right-wing paramilitary groups first moved into the region to fight Marxist Farc guerrillas.

"During those four years... oh, boy, that was really sad. I swear I fished out more than 50 dead bodies," recalls Chain. "And they still come down (the river). They still come down."

More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22795977