Teenage pupils held at gunpoint in Guatemala school trip robbery
A dozen teenage boys from a British grammar school have been robbed at gunpoint on a trip to Guatemala.
The boys, who are all aged 16, were travelling on a private bus in a remote mountain area when they were ambushed by a group of bandits who stole around £2,000 in money and valuables.
The pupils were on their way to Coban in Guatemala (pictured) when they were robbed at gunpoint
The teenagers, from the Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, were two-thirds of the way into a month-long trip organised by World Challenge Expeditions, where they were carrying out volunteer work in local schools.
They are now waiting to be flown back home, their head teacher said today.
Simon Everson said: "No one was hurt but they will be coming back as soon as flights can be arranged.
"We told the boys we would support them if they wanted to stay or if they wanted to come back and they said they wanted to come back."
Mr Everson said the teenagers were accompanied by two teachers as well as an experienced expedition leader from the organisation.
He added: "It's very rare for this sort of thing to happen I'm told, but all precautions had been taken and everyone, including the boys, had received appropriate training, which they put into practice as soon as it happened."
He said the incident occurred at around 9pm local time on Friday, when they on their way to the central city of Coban.
Just read this in the British newspaper 'The Daily Mail'. What a shame that they are cutting their trip short...
It amazes me that visitors to Guatemala are so 'shocked' when faced with the reality of travelling in this young democracy. The huge numbers of backpackers, the bus loads of tourists and the cruisers who simply have no idea about the part of the world that they are travelling to. Don't they do their homework?
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