QUITO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least one person died and 28 were rescued after a tourist boat sank in Tortuga Bay, a beach in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, the Ecuadorian navy reported Friday.

The captain and owner of the boat died, whose body has been found and transferred to the dock after a three-hour searching, local authorities said.

The 28 rescued are currently receiving medical care at Puerto Ayora, thanks to a "timely and effective" operation, the report said.

The Galapagos Islands, located about 970 km off the coast of Ecuador, were declared a Natural World Heritage Site and now are considered as one of Ecuador's main tourism sites. ■