Missing Fisherman Samuel Chi Found Dead After Extensive Search at Sea

Missing fisherman Samuel Chi has been found dead, bringing an end to the search-and-rescue operation launched Sunday night.  Chi and his friend, Albert Vaccaro, were reported missing after they failed to return from a fishing trip.  Chi’s body was located shortly after nine o’clock this morning in waters west of Hicks Caye. He was found in the same general vicinity where Vaccaro was recovered alive yesterday morning.  The discovery comes after search teams spent several hours combing the waters between Caye Caulker and Vista Del Mar. The operation involved the Belize Coast Guard, the Belize Port Authority, the Belize Fisheries Department, relatives and private boaters.  Vaccaro was found floating southwest of Hicks Caye at around eleven-thirty yesterday morning, approximately ten miles north of Belize City and five miles from the coastline. He was reportedly dehydrated and disoriented and was taken first to the Coast Guard’s medical centre before being transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

The two experienced fishermen reportedly departed from the Caye Caulker area on Sunday evening and were expected to return to Vista Del Mar. When they failed to arrive, relatives alerted the authorities, prompting the Coast Guard to activate a search-and-rescue operation shortly after ten o’clock that night.  The circumstances that left the men stranded at sea remain under investigation. It is also not yet clear what happened to the vessel in which they were travelling.  Further information on his condition is expected later today from the authorities.