Intoxicated man drowns at Bainton’s Bank
There will not be a party for Desmond Kerr’s birthday this coming Saturday. Instead there is grief to mourn the death of forty-nine year old Kerr who drowned around two this afternoon in the Haulover Creek at Bainton’s Bank just behind the Coast Guard headquarters off the Northern Highway. Reports are that Kerr was intoxicated when he plunged into the deep waters of the Belize River, even while friends discouraged him from doing so. News Five spoke with two of Kerr’s friends and Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Cedric Borland, whose unit was diving to recover his body.
Admiral Cedric Borland, Commandant, Belize Nat’l Coast Guard
“We got information that an individual was swimming across the river in the area of Bainton Bank along the Belize River and the individual disappeared. We immediately deployed a vessel along with two of our divers and presently we have two of our divers on the river trying to recover this individual.”
Duane Moody
“Nobody has seen the person anywhere along the banks, noh?”
Admiral Cedric Borland
“No, not as yet. They saw when the individual disappeared under the water and they called us and we responded. We will put a second vessel in the water shortly to look along the river bank if we’ll be able to find that individual.”
Urbie Alamilla, Friend
“He was swimming across the river to go where the inspector was that was checking that area for one late Mrs. Bainton that was to be buried across the river about Friday. So the boat went cross and the inspector went cross with the boat and then he took off his clothes that is right under the tree down there and he jumped in and about half way he was—he seems tired, then in three-quarter across the river, right before he was about to reach, he was on the surface and he went down and he didn’t come up back.”
Duane Moody“
“Do you know more or less what the dept of this river is at this point in time?”
Urbie Alamilla
“Well, from childhood times that I have been around the river, I will estimate between twenty to thirty feet.”
Keith Swift, Channel Seven Reporter”
“Did any of you guys warn him against jumping into the water?”
Urbie Alamilla
“Well, yes definitely, the residents in the area were telling him, you know, yoh wah kill yoh self, yo noh jump enna riva cause you were drinking and everybody was telling him to come back and he pursue and he went ahead and tried to swim across the river. The inspector came from Belize City, we brought him up here to inspect a gravesite because we need a license or something to go bury someone on your land, so he just went and follow the boat that went across, he was swimming across just to see what was happening.”
Bobby Bainton, Friend
“We were just standing here watching my uncle and him go across to take the health inspector to inspect the funeral site and while they left, this guy, he wanted to follow them. They didn’t wanna take him but he was drinking and so he decide he was gonna swim behind them and go see what he could have assist them. And on the way over, while they were on the other side, we watching him swimming, get half way and start to like struggle So I told the guy, you know, relax your self and try float pah yo back, he tried floating on his back but I guess he was tired so he decide to forward paddle towards the bank and in that motion of forward paddling, that’s when we just saw him disappear.”
Duane Moody“
“And no one jumped in to help him?”
Bobby Bainton
“There was no one at the bank edge besides us on this side but we were too far away as you can see the width of the river, you know, I just reach in there and we spot him going down.”
Duane Moody
“I understand that it’s a norm that people normally swim this river?”
Bobby Bainton
“Yes, we normally swim this river, everyday we swim this river, even day and night, you know.”
Duane Moody
“And why the difference now? I understand that he was eating as well, he had ate before?”
Bobby Bainton
“He had just got through eating some sandwiches and you know.”
Duane Moody
“He caught a cramp or something, you know”
Bobby Bainton
“Yeah, I think that’s what it is, he get a cramp—he’s a magic person too, you know. Yes he caught seizures a lot, so all could have happen to the guy, you know because he didn’t put up no fight, no struggle, you know. When I told him go on his back and float, he tried and he—look like that didn’t work so tried to make it to the bank.”
Up to news time the search continues for Desmond Kerr.
