by Charles Gladden

ROARING CREEK, Cayo District, Mon. Jan. 9, 2023

Over the weekend, the motionless body of 8-year-old Luke Hansen, a resident of Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District, was recovered in the vicinity of Banana Bank after he went missing after sinking under the surface of the river while swimming with his brother and a cousin.

According to previous reports, on Wednesday, January 5, the three boys went out to the river near the Guanacaste Park area with an older relative against their grandmother’s orders and were told to stay in the shallow part of the river due to the strong currents.

However, one of the boys led the other two into a slightly deep area of the river, where they slipped because of the soft river bottom and sank under the water. Two of the boys were rescued by first responders at the scene, but Hansen had not been seen at the time.

His body has since been handed over to the Belize Police Department, and a post-mortem examination will soon be conducted on his remains.