Maritime killers still on the loose

In the wake of Tuesday’s maritime massacre in the Gulf of Honduras law enforcement authorities are still looking for answers. As it now stands eight of the 12 passengers who boarded the boat “Mariestela” in Puerto Barrios have been accounted for. 5 are confirmed dead, 3 positively identified. They are Belizeans Alicia Iretha and Juan Chuc, and Guatemalan Carlos Cuc. Although immigration records list the names of an additional four Guatemalans and one Honduran those names have not been matched to the remaining 2 bodies. A 6th victim, Belizean Julio Requena Jr. was seen to go under the water and not resurface. His body, however, has not yet been recovered despite a wide search by friends and family based in Punta Gorda. 3 people survived the ordeal, which involved over 17 hours floating in a turbulent sea. They are the boat’s captain, Ernesto Requena and passengers Larry Smith and Evolyn Rojas. As for the 3 hijackers, they have thus far vanished without a trace. Survivor Larry Smith, still recuperating with a bullet lodged in his back, told News Five that he saw the men head off in the Mariestela in the direction of the Sarstoon River. That river, which forms the boundary between Belize and Guatemala, is a sparsely inhabited area with little law enforcement presence and a reputation as a haven for drug runners. Police and military units from Belize, Guatemala and Honduras have mounted a coordinated search for the men and the skiff but as of news time have located neither.