Photo: Sylvio Camara, deceased
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Feb. 29, 2024
A boating mishap off the coast of Belize turned tragic on Wednesday, February 28, when a vessel carrying eight individuals from San Pedro Ambergris Caye capsized between English Caye and Tarpon Creek in the Turneffe Islands area.
The Belize Coast Guard launched a swift rescue operation, saving seven individuals and recovering one motionless person. The survivors, along with the deceased, were promptly taken to Dangriga, with one of the rescued requiring urgent medical attention at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City.
The vessel, captained by 63-year-old Armando Graniel, reportedly encountered rough seas with winds reaching up to 25 knots, and their trouble was compounded when the boat’s bilge pump failed, preventing water from being expelled. The boat began taking on water before ultimately capsizing.
Rear Admiral Elton Bennett detailed the Coast Guard’s response, stating that they received a distress call around 2:30 p.m. from a passing sailboat that had rescued four individuals and found another person lifeless.
Upon receiving the alert, the Coast Guard, already patrolling the area due to cruise ship activities, redirected a unit to assist. They later found the remaining three passengers two miles East of Spanish Lookout Caye at approximately 4:00 p.m.
“The entire operation took about an hour and 45 minutes. That may sound like a short time, but for someone who is in the water that could seem like an eternity,” Bennett said. “We have to take into consideration the direction of drift which includes wind calculation and current calculation. So, the search planners in Coast Guard headquarters were very accurate. They were supporting the mission. They were able to come up with a very accurate search area and that’s the reason why we were able to quickly locate those individuals that were drifting out at sea. We had requested aerial support from the Belize Defence Force, our search and rescue partners on the BDF air wing, and they were preparing to fly. At that point, we had already located the three individuals out of the water.”
The distressed passengers, all residents of San Pedro, included Angel Coy (19), Ronald Landeros (23), Jonathan Torres (18), Avimael Chuc (37), Mynor Herrera (31), Sylvio Camara, (deceased), and Jason Magaña (31) who remains in critical condition.