And, as we told you, this weekend - a 14 year old boy drowned in a boating accident.
His family says no one gave Axel Oroman permission to use a jet ski, and tonight they are grieving his death. It happened at the mouth of the Belize river in the showdown of the Haulover. Bridge where teams searched for 24 hours before finding his body yesterday afternoon. Jomarie Lanza spoke with the family:
It was a jet ski joyride that later turned into this family's greatest heartache on Saturday. No one was at home when 14 year old Axel Oroman decided to take a jet ski his cousin was working on for a spin down the river accompanied by a family friend. The family says that Axel was a good swimmer and they suspect that he had to have hit his head while attempting tricks on the water. That's when he fell into the water without a life jacket.
Wilbert Guardado, Cousin of Deceased
"The jet ski was parked at my place right at the canal at the back and they told me that he jumped on the jet ski without asking no one, which in no one was around here right, just the guy Roy who was along with him that same day when he jumped on the jet ski and they went by the river by Grand Caribe to take a spin and thats how when he spinned the jet ski he fell off the jetski and just went right down."
"In my presence he doesn't jump on that jetski none at all."
For Axel's father it was a feeling of hopelessness after receiving the call, and then rushing over to the bridge only to realize that there was nothing he could do to save his eldest son.
Degly Oroman
"I was working, I work at Tomza gas when I got a call from Mr Wilbert's wife around 2:30 that my son had drowned."
Reporter
"He is your oldest child?"
Degly Oroman
"Yes, and so I came with friends from work to Haulover bridge and I saw that persons were already looking for any son but there was nothing I could do."
The family along with the Coast Guard and other volunteers searched for more than 24 hours till they found Axel's body that was still pinned under water
Reporter
"So you came in from Caye Caulker?"
Wilbert Guardado, Cousin of Deceased
"From Caye Caulker in the night and I came straight to search for him until 3:00Am in the morning I rested for a bit and then 5:00 again we jumped on it whole day until yesterday evening 10-5 we made the discovery he was right down 10 feet off the bridge beam stuck on some roots so we built a hook and with the hook we hooked the roots and when we hooked the roots and popped the roots his clothes got stuck on some branches and when we pulled it up the body just floated right up behind the engine and thats how we ended up finding him."
Axel was his cousin's apprentice and had big dreams of becoming a boat captain, but now the family is left to deal with the crippling loss of such a young soul
Wilbert Guardado, Cousin of Deceased
"He wanted top be a captain right he wanted to be a captain and learn about boats, learn about finer glass because I repair boats and stuff so he wanted to learn all about that and I was teaching him."
"He was, there are no words and I cannot say because it's just sad when I think about it right but it has already happened and I can't do nothing about it."
The Belize Port Authority issued a statement today on the incident noting that It is mandatory that life jackets be worn at all times when operating or riding on personal watercraft.
The release also adds that under Belize's maritime regulations, the operation of any personal watercraft, including jet skis, requires a valid Certificate of Competency.
