Two drown over long hot weekend

Tonight two families from the Cayo district are mourning the loss of loved ones after separate drowning incidents along the Belize River. According to thirty-year-old Irma Messa, on Friday, she took her children to an area near Santa Elena Town called “Trapich” where they could swim while she did laundry. However, Messa says that around two that afternoon, she saw her seven-year-old son, Arnold Guilen, having difficulty keeping his head above water. His fourteen-year-old sister rushed to help the boy but before their eyes, Arnold disappeared beneath the water. When police arrived at the scene, bystanders had already pulled the boy’s body from the river. A post mortem has determined the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.

On Saturday a social event near the Young Bank Ferry turned tragic after one of the partygoers drowned. News Five understands that forty-two year old Rudolph “Tamba” Lopez was drinking with friends on the riverbank when he decided to go into the water. But police say within minutes, Lopez went under and never came up. A frantic search of the area by friends led to the discovery of his body, but it was too late. Hospital authorities pronounced Rudolph Lopez dead on arrival.