George Gill Drowns in Bermudian Landing
George Gill
Thirty-one-year-old George Gill drowned in the Belize River in Bermudian Landing on Sunday afternoon while out on a trip with his girlfriend and three others. Despite being forewarned by a villager that the tide was high and that the current in the river was particularly strong that day, Gill went out into the river twice before being swept away by the flow of water. According to a friend of his who was also on the road trip, Gill began drifting and attempted to swim against the current towards the bank of the river. Notwithstanding an attempt to rescue him, Gill went under and did not resurface. He remained submerged for almost forty-five minutes before a group of divers from the village commenced a search for his body.
Voice of: Friend of George Gill
“Basically around twelve o’clock we went swimming at the Bermudian Landing river and we were there for a couple minutes, about twenty-five minutes to a half an hour and then a guy from up there, who lives up there, he informed us about the river and told us that the tide is high today and the current is stronger than normal and George Gill went out in the current and basically he was playing and he came back in. And he went again a second time and we thought he was playing but apparently he wasn’t and the current started drifting him and he was going farther and farther. Then we ran for help and a guy saw him. He was trying to help him, he told him to hang on, he’s coming to go with the current, but when you are in those situations you are panicking, you can’t hear or don’t know what to do. So he was trying to fight the current and swim in but he couldn’t. The current drifted him and when the guy almost reached him he was a couple feet from where he sank and he didn’t come up back. And help came after that then he was in the water for about forty-five minutes to an hour and then a group of divers came.”
Hilberto Romero
Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero, Deputy Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
“On Sunday, September 22nd around 1:55 pm, police responded to a report of a drowning at Bermudian Landing. Upon their arrival they received information that one George Gill had drowned in the river. At some point he entered the river and was carried away by the current. Later on his body was recovered and he was taken to the K.H.M.H. where he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
Duane Moody
“Sir, anything to suggest that they were drinking out there?”
Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero
“The post mortem will determine that at this point. They were hanging out at that area when he entered the water.”
