Colombia closes popular parks in yellow fever scare
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BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- Colombia on Wednesday closed five natural parks along its tourist-rich Caribbean coast following an epidemic of yellow fever that has killed at least one person, the government said.
The temporary ban included the spectacular Sierra Nevada, a park popular among foreign backpackers for its mist-covered mountains and jungles and home to many Indian communities.
No urban centers have been hit by the epidemic of mosquito-borne yellow fever raging in northern Colombia, the government said in a statement on state news agency SNE.
Last September, gunmen from Colombia's second-largest Marxist rebel group -- the National Liberation Army, or ELN -- kidnapped eight foreign backpackers taken hostage while trekking near the ancient Indian "Lost City" in Sierra Nevada.
The last five of the hostages -- four Israelis and a Briton -- were released in December after 100 days in captivity.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
