Four American men were killed Oct. 20, 2018, in a rafting accident in Costa Rica. Miami Herald File ||||| (CNN) It took less than five minutes for a weekend bachelor party in Costa Rica to turn into a tragedy that claimed the lives of four men, including the groom's brother. 
 
 Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Denis were killed during a white-water rafting tour on the Naranjo River in Quepos on Saturday. The men, all Americans, were between 25 and 35 years old. A fifth person, a Costa Rican tour guide identified as Kevin Thompson Reid, also died, according to Costa Rican officials. 
 
 "What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare," said Anthony Castro, one of the group's survivors, who started a GoFundMe page in honor of his friends. 
 
 Castro said the group had planned a number of activities during their trip to Costa Rica, which they were determined to make memorable for their longtime friend, Luis Beltran. 
 
 "We've all been friends for many years and we knew we wanted to do something special for our friend before his wedding." 
 
 Read More ||||| NBC 6's Laura Rodriguez has the latest on the investigation into the Costa Rica rafting accident that killed four men from Miami and a tour guide. 
 
 Four American tourists and a Costa Rican guide were killed in a weekend rafting accident in the Central American country, authorities said Sunday. 
 
 The men from Miami have been identified as Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Denis. They were in Costa Rica for a bachelor party. 
 
 "What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare," Chris Comas, who survived the incident, said in a statement. 
 
 Three rafts flipped on the Naranjo river Saturday around 3 p.m. and the five victims were carried away downstream, according to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Organism. Other passengers managed to cling to the rafts and some were rescued by another guide in a kayak. 
 
 4 Miami Men Die in Costa Rica Rafting Accident 
 
 Four men from South Florida who were in Costa Rica as part of a bachelor party died in a rafting accident. (Published Monday, Oct. 22, 2018) 
 
 "Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive," Comas said. "Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us." 
 
 The local guide was Kevin Thompson Reid, described by his boss as one of his most-skilled guides. 
 
 All of the victims died from asphyxia as a result of drowning, Walter Espinoza, the director of the Organization of Judicial Investigations, confirmed to NBC 6. 
 
 The case is being investigated as negligent homicide, Espinoza said. The rafting company, Quepoa Expeditions, will also be under investigation. 
 
 In total, there were 14 tourists aboard the rafts and five guides, officials said. Authorities said the river was swollen by rains and the National Emergency Commission maintained an alert in the area due to the possibility of flooding. 
 
 The Americans arrived in Costa Rice Oct. 18 and had been renting a house in Playa Hermosa de Jaco, according to the Costa Rican government. 
 
 Accident Kills 4 Miami Men in Costa Rica for Bachelor Party 
 
 NBC 6's Nestor Mato reports on the deadly rafting accident in Costa Rica. (Published Monday, Oct. 22, 2018) 
 
 The Red Cross said via Facebook that the rafts overturned near Liverpool de Quepos. 
 
 Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado expressed his dismay about the accident on Twitter. 
 
 The U.S. Department of State confirmed the deaths. 
 
 "We are saddened by news of rafting accident in #CostaRica. We can confirm 4 U.S. citizens died as a result of the accident. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, and extend our gratitude to Government of Costa Rica for their support in this tragedy," U.S. Department of State spokesman Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter. 
 
 Friends have set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs. 
 
 Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 South Florida ||||| AC Memorials MIAMI, FL Anthony Castro 
 
 What was meant to be a weekend to remember for 14 friends turned into a living nightmare. We decided to celebrate Luis Beltran’s bachelor party in Costa Rica on the weekend of October 18, 2018. 
 
 
 
 We’ve all been friends for many years and we knew we wanted to do something special for our friend before his wedding. We planned a few activities, one of them being a white water rafting tour on the Saturday of our trip. 
 
 
 
 When we first arrived, it was windy and raining, and the professional tour guides advised that we wait a bit before going out on the water. Less than an hour later, we got the okay to head out, and the 14 of us separated onto 3 different rafts. Within five minutes of being out on the river, all three rafts capsized, and everyone ended up in the water. 
 
 
 
 Everyone struggled to get back on the rafts, with some efforts being successful, but ultimately the rafts continued to capsize due to the immense current. Within minutes, all of us were careening down the river with life jackets and helmets just trying to stabilize and find something to hold on to. 
 
 
 
 Throughout the dangerous ride down the river, all of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive. Most of us were ultimately able to grab hold of rocks or barriers in or around the water and await the rescue teams to get to us. Unfortunately, not all of us were so lucky. Four of our dear friends drowned in those waters. 
 
 
 
 Luis, the man we hoped to celebrate all weekend, lost a brother and we all lost four great friends during this vacation which went horribly wrong. 
 
 
 
 This GoFundMe has been created to help raise money for the families of our friends Ernesto Sierra, Andres Denis, Jorge Caso, and Sergio Lorenzo (including his children) with their devastating losses. 
 
 
 
 We are aiming to alleviate costs for funeral and memorial expenses. They all had so much life left to live as sons, brothers, fathers, cousins, and friends before this devastating tragedy occurred. 
 
 
 
 Please note, all donations that surpass the set goal will be allocated to the children of Sergio Lorenzo. 
 
 
 
 Any donations are sincerely appreciated. 
 
 
 
 God bless. ||||| We are saddened by news of rafting accident in # CostaRica. We can confirm 4 U.S. citizens died as a result of the accident. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones, and extend our gratitude to Government of Costa Rica for their support in this tragedy. ||||| SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Four American tourists and a Costa Rican guide were killed in a weekend rafting accident in the Central American country, authorities said Sunday. 
 
 Three rafts flipped on the Naranjo river Saturday around 3 p.m. and the five victims were carried away downstream, according to the Judicial Investigation Organism. Other passengers managed to cling to the rafts and some were rescued by another guide in a kayak. 
 
 The organism identified those who died as Ernesto Sierra, Jorge Caso, Sergio Lorenzo and Andres Dennis. It did not list hometowns for them. The local guide was Kevin Thompson Reid. 
 
 In total there were 14 tourists aboard the rafts and five guides. 
 
 Authorities said the river was swollen by rains and the National Emergency Commission maintained an alert in the area due to the possibility of flooding. 
 
 The Americans had arrived in Costa Rice Oct. 18 and had been renting a house in Playa Hermosa de Jaco, according to the government. 
 
 The Red Cross said via Facebook that the rafts overturned near Liverpool de Quepos. 
 
 Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado expressed his dismay about the accident on Twitter.
– Just two days earlier, the men from Miami had arrived in Playa Hermosa de Jaco for a bachelor party celebration. On Saturday, that Costa Rican celebration turned deadly for four of the party attendees during a river rafting expedition after several rafts flipped over on the Naranjo River; a local guide was also killed, the Miami Herald reports. The AP identifies the four US tourists as Ernesto Sierra, Sergio Lorenzo, Andres Dennis, and Jorge Caso, while the river guide—whose supervisor called him one of his most-skilled guides, per NBC Miami—has been named as Kevin Thompson Reid. CNN reports the deceased were between the ages of 25 and 35, per Costa Rican officials. The news was confirmed by the US Department of State, with spokeswoman Heather Nauert tweeting condolences, as well as thanks to Costa Rica "for their support in this tragedy." The four tourists had been part of a group of 14 who traveled to Costa Rica "to do something special for our friend before his wedding," per a GoFundMe. Authorities say rain had swelled the Naranjo River on rafting day, and there was a flood alert. A party attendee who set up the GoFundMe to pay for his friends' funeral costs says all three rafts they were in flipped after just a few minutes, tossing all 14 of them and their guides into the river. "All of us struggled to stay above water, swallowing lots of it on the way down as our bodies ricocheted against the rocks in the water while struggling to survive," the page notes. Those who survived were able to grab onto rocks or other objects. Further condolences were offered by Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado, who expressed his "deep dismay" in a Saturday night tweet. (A bachelor party went wrong at a casino.)