Artemio Vivas, 51, of Corozal Town, the Pueblo Nuevo ferry operator, died after falling overboard into the water and disappearing at about 2:00 o’clock this morning.

Reports are that Vivas went to urinate, but he slipped and fell into the water, which was higher than normal due to the rain that had fallen earlier that night. The incident occurred on the Pueblo Nuevo Ferry in the Corozal District.

In an interview with Que Pasa Corozal, Rolando Alcoser, who was working with Vivas on the ferry, said that they were pulling across a BEL vehicle from Corozal to the Progresso /Copper Bank side when Vivas went to urinate over the edge of the ferry, and fell overboard into the water. The BEL workers on the ferry along with him quickly tried to rescue Vivas, but he was unable to swim and went under.

The alarm was raised and a search for him began, with police involved, and Vivas’s body was found at about 8:00 this morning in the area.

However, it was believed that Vivas was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The body was taken to the Corozal Hospital, where a postmortem exam will be conducted to certify the cause of his death.