2 weeks ago
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Police and The Belize Defence Force (BDF) bomb experts are investigating the death of Jose Valencia, a 25-year-old welder who was killed in a deadly explosion on Saturday afternoon in San Jose Palmar Village, Orange Walk.
According to reports, Valencia was working on a metal object believed to be an old military training bomb when it suddenly detonated, killing him on the spot. The blast was so intense that it shook homes, shattered nearby windows and was heard over a mile away.
Investigators say Valencia was hired by former PUP area representative Dave Burgos to install the device as an ornamental piece on his property. Burgos told police he had obtained three of the old bombs from a man in Carmelita Village, thinking they were inert relics.
Love News travelled to San Jose Nuevo Palmer and spoke with Valencia’s sister about the incident;
Sister: “It was a terrible feeling. It’s a feeling of shock because I don’t know. just in your body, you just feel nervous or it’s a terrible feeling. You don’t know what happened or who it was.”
Reporter: What did it sound like to you?
Sister: “Oh, it was a big blast. Big blast. Everything. The house, the zinc, everything. It was really loud. Very frightening.”
Reporter: How are you guys made aware of the situation that your brother was the one involved?
Sister “Because we were here, my two brothers and I, when the neighbor came running, uh he had just gone to check because he knows my brother works there and the explosion sounded there. So he came running and he said he has a feeling it’s my brother because he had gone to check and they told him they can’t tell him anything about my brother because Mr. Burgos said he just shook his head not seeing anything.”
Reporter: Who went over to identify your brother?
Sister: “My mom went over there because I called her and I told her I wasn’t sure if it was him. So she was coming from work. So she went straight there, but she was not let close to anyone. think they just said it’s more than likely that it’s my brother, but she wasn’t able to see anyone or anything. “
Reporter: Has authorities given you guys any information regarding the incident?
Sister: ‘No, we haven’t gotten anything. They haven’t said anything specified anything. We don’t know.”
His uncle, Jonan Gutierrez remembers his nephew as a responsible father and kind-hearted individual.
Johan Gutierrez, Uncle: “Well, Jose from a very young age, he was a very responsible, you know, a very responsible person. He took on the responsibility of a father. He provided for his mother, for his siblings. He has two sisters and a younger brother. And, you know, two years ago he had the blessing to be a father himself. So he was, you know, he was very excited. He did mention to us many times that he couldn’t wait for his daughter, you know, to be five, six years old. was very excited to see his daughter being a bigger girl. But unfortunately, that won’t be possible. uh viewers can see in all the Facebook posts that the different media houses have been posting, they ah can attest to what Jose’s character was. There are many people that saw him out there with his daughter ah being a responsible father, providing all the needs that a young baby needs. So they all can attest to that. And we can also say that was a very responsible father. um most of the times when people do, when they ask what’s their character, they would say, ah he was a very good person. Indeed, Jose was a very good person. uh Like all of us, we do have flaws, but uh Jose tried to control all of that. uh We can say that he didn’t have any misunderstandings or any fights with people around the neighborhood. So he was well respected. People looked up to him, his sisters, they call him their role model. So definitely that’s the kind of person Jose was and that’s the kind of person we will all remember.”
Marisela Martinez lives nearby and felt the thunderous blast.
Marisela Martinez, Neighbor: “It’s the first time something like this has happened. It was really powerful. The house shook. Something shook it. That’s what happened. We saw it and we heard it. It happened at around four o’clock. We were out here cleaning and there was smoke and something flew over that way. My husband and I were out here cleaning and that’s what we saw. The house shook. It trembled. I went over there to see what happened and there were a lot of people already gathered.”
Rutilia Chiac’s rest was interrupted when the blast frightened her.
Rutillia Chiac, Neighbor: “Well it felt so terrible because it’s the first time I’ve experienced that kind of explosion that I never have experienced as yet in my life. And when it happened, all of a sudden it happened and it shook the whole house with the bed that we were lying on and like I said it was out of nowhere that happened. No one expected it to happen and then it was a terrible feeling.”
Assistant Superintendent Smith says police are not ruling out charges for Burgos.
Stacy Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “At present, the police department in connection with the Belize Defense Force who is the primary experts as it relates to identifying and categorizing what exactly the device is, are in dialogue and we’re reviewing the Dangerous Goods Act to determine what, if any, charges can be brought in light of what the expert opinion as to what exactly that material is. Further to that, a file is being compiled in relation to the death of Mr. Valencia and that will be forwarded to the office of the DPP for the directives there from.”
Following the explosion, the BDF Bomb Squad arrived at the scene and found two additional similar devices, which were safely secured. Police say the object that exploded appeared to have been part of a batch of old British military explosives left behind decades ago when the Crooked Tree Pine Ridge area served as a live-firing range. Investigators are now working to determine how the bomb remained active many years later and whether other unexploded devices may still exist in northern Belize.
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