Two bodies fished out of Mopan River

Over the past two days, the bodies of two Guatemalan nationals were found floating in the Mopan River. In the first case, shortly after six Monday morning, police discovered the body of thirty-two year old businessman, Egidio Fidel Perez, of San Marcos City in Guatemala. Perez was wearing a t-shirt and underwear. But while the cause of death has not been determined, Benque Viejo police say that there are no visible signs of injuries to suspect foul-play and it is believed that he drowned while attempting to cross from Guatemala to Belize.

In the other case, shortly after midday today, another body was found in the river this time near Pugas Farm—considered to be an area of illegal crossing between the two countries. According to police patrolling the area, around five-thirty Sunday evening, they detected a man, believed to be the victim, jumping into the river in an attempt to get to Guatemala. But the officers say the person later went under water and never resurfaced. A search and rescue team was deployed, but the body surfaced until early this afternoon. Police are currently working with their Guatemalan counterparts to ascertain the identity of the victim.