One soldier was killed and 8 others hurt in a disastrous traffic accident on Saturday morning. It occurred in the Mountain Pine Ridge area where the officers were being trained. Corporal Zachariah Pop - a trained medic- was taking the group of mostly recruits to the San Ignacio Hospital for a routine visit. But reaching Privassion Camp – they came head to head with a tow head truck. To avoid a collision, driver 29 year old Corporal Moses Diego swerved off the road – and veered into a drain on the right hand side.
The vehicle flipped and everyone was thrown out. That included Corporal Zachariah Pop who received severe head and body injuries. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the San Ignacio Hospital. The injuries to the other occupants varied. Corporal Diego received body injuries while recruits Roxanne Goff and Denisha Parchue had to be flown to the Health Care Partners Hospital where Goff remains tonight.
Corporal Pop is a 6 year veteran with the Belize Defense Force. He will buried with full military honors on Wednesday afternoon in his home village of Red Bank in the Stann Creek District.
The BDF’s Commander, Brigadier General Dario Tapia says a court of inquiry will be convened to investigate the incident. That is separate from a police investigation which continues.
