2 die in separate drowning incidents

In another drowning incident, a Belize City woman died while in the water just off the beach on Caye Caulker. Police reports indicate that on Friday afternoon, sixty-five year old Viola Brakeman was in the water near the “split” when she appeared to be in trouble. Eyewitnesses told police she was then seen floating in the water and they rushed to get her out. Brakeman was taken to the island’s health center where she was administered CPR, but the effort proved useless. A medical officer confirmed that she died just before 3:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, a Belmopan resident also lost his life while bathing in the river on Sunday afternoon. Police reports are that around 5:30 that afternoon twenty-one year old Marvin Ivan Ramirez, a mechanic of a Forest Drive address, was swimming with family members when he went under. His relatives went to his rescue, but he could not be found. The police were called in and around seven-thirty Monday morning, the lifeless body of Ramirez was discovered about two hundred yards from where he disappeared.