Marillin Cornel on Fatal Boat Accident; Mario Rosales Survives

Cornel’s sister, Marillin Cornel told News Five that Oscar was with her common-law-husband, Mario Rosales, who captained the small boat. Marillin says she became worried when hours had passed and Rosales did not contact her. It wasn’t until around ten p.m. that Rosales was found near a pier at Cayo Rosario; he had been swimming for over four hours. Marillin says that her common-law husband had developed hypothermia, but fortunately he was found and rushed to the Caye Caulker Polyclinic for treatment.

Voice of: Marillin Cornel, Sister of Deceased

“When I called him around seven, just voice mail was on. Then I tried to call my little brother, just voice mail. I tried to call their boss and just voice mail so I said something is not right so I started to worry. Then my dad called me and said they just post that there was an accident of a boat and that moment I felt that they were the ones that were in that accident. So I tried to best I could. I called the coastguard and they told me that they had just left and they are trying their best to locate them. So they said if any information, they would let us know. By the media, my other sisters and I saw that they said that they took some guests to the polyclinic in Caye Caulker and then some in San Pedro. So when I heard from Caye Caulker I called the polyclinic and wanted to make sure if it was them. So I called and I asked if any of those names were there—Marion Rosales or Oscar Cornel is there? And they said no ma’am there are no Belizeans here. Just guests that were not that badly injured but they needed treatment. So I started and I said, “Oh my God, I don’t know what else to do.” And I tried. I told my sisters anything…and yes, they post that they just took someone and they say it is Mario. So I called and when they told me, they said yes it was him. That they just had found him; it was about ten o’clock. I called the polyclinic again because they told me they were taking him to polyclinic in Caye Caulker. And they said, “Yes ma’am, Mario Rosales is here.” With him was his boss and they said, well he was not injured but the time he went swimming for four hours and the time at ten that they found him, he was almost dead because his body was so cold. So they took him and they were warming him with blankets and things like that so that his body could get temperature as normal. When they found my husband, they didn’t find the vessel nor my little brother when they found him so the search continued. I asked him this morning, I want to know on which side was my brother standing when the accident occurred. He said that the vessel hit them at the left-hand side so my brother was at his left-hand side so when the boat hit, it hit the same where he was. So the coastguard called me today and said they are doing their best to locate my little brother.”