Body of drowned Succotz man is retrieved from Mopan River

Carlos Valdez

The lifeless body of sixty-five year old Carlos Valdez has been recovered from the Mopan River, following a massive search effort by family and friends since the canoe he was traveling in capsized on Monday.  Valdez, a resident of Benque Viejo del Carmen, and a fellow farmer were crossing the river shortly after ten o’clock that morning with a load of plantains when their vessel went under.  While Luis Baron was able to swim to safety, Valdez was not as fortunate.  In the wake of the drowning, a team of coastguard divers was deployed into the area in an attempt to recover the body.  That effort nonetheless, proved futile.  News Five understands that the body of the farmer resurfaced on Tuesday and was recovered around ten p.m.  Both Valdez and Baron frequented the other side of the Mopan River since childhood, where they harvested crops grown on their plantation.  Meanwhile, an advisory has been issued to residents of the surrounding area not to cross the river in its swollen state.