U.S. Ambassador Peter Cianchette visited a bridge that crosses the Guabos River in Quepos

Quepos, Friday, June 20, 2008.

U.S. Ambassador Peter Cianchette visited a bridge that crosses the Guabos River in Quepos where five engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering and their counterparts from the Costa Rican National Emergency Committee are constructing a Bailey type bridge for the benefit of the community. "I am here to convey our support and friendship to the people in the region," noted Ambassador Cianchette.

This joint U.S.-Costa Rican operation is supported by the U.S. Southern Command, which commits many of its resources to humanitarian missions that help countries in the Americas deal with natural disasters, search and rescue operations, and providing medical support, such as the MEDRETE in December, 2007, to people in Talamanca.

The bridge will replace the one where two school teachers and two children tragically lost their lives a few weeks ago while trying to cross the bridge. 

During the past two weeks, the five-member U.S. army team has assisted the CNE with surveying several bridges throughout Costa Rica. They also shared their professional expertise with their CNE colleagues, providing capacity-building and technical training.

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