Students in a Washington University tropical ecology class were robbed by masked gunmen in Costa Rica on Saturday, according to a report in the student newspaper.

No one was injured in the incident. According to the student newspaper, the class had just arrived in San Jose and was traveling to a biological station on the east coast when a vehicle rammed into their bus. The robbers took some bags from the travelers that contained wallets, passports, and cell phones.

Police arrived shortly after and escorted the group the rest of the way to the biology station.

The class appears to be continuing its research despite this glitch. Police are planning to escort the group back to the airport when they leave on Sunday, the student newspaper said.

According to the university’s course information, the tropical ecology class taught by adjunct professor Mark Manteuffel is an intense short-tern course taught primarily during spring break at the La Suerte field station in northeastern Costa Rica. The class is offered through the school’s University College.

The student newspaper said two students in the class who had been vacationing in Costa Rica before the class trip were also robbed — one of them at machete-point.

In an unrelated tragedy last week, a WashU senior died last week from an accidental drowning while on spring break in Costa Rica. Anthony Olasov, 22, was an electrical and computer engineering major from South Carolina.

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