BELIZE (18 Nov 2001) -- Belize authorities are continuing an investigation of the sinking of a boat that killed members of a diving club, and officials say they don't plan to release any conclusions before January. The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize is still gathering information about the Oct. 8 tragedy that claimed the lives of 17 members of the Richmond Dive Club and three crew members. Investigators have several theories, Libardo Bru, a registry official, told reporters. ''But we wouldn't like to disclose any of those until we reach a conclusion. We are still gathering information.'' One theory proposed by the Wave Dancer's insurance investigators - that a tornado had spun off Hurricane Iris and hit the Wave Dancer - apparently won't measure up, officials said. ''I am not seeing any evidence of a tornado,'' said Belize's chief meteorologist, Carlos Fuller, who has made several trips to examine the wreckage from Iris. The evidence shows that the hurricane winds ''increased with height,'' he said. That means the velocity of the winds was substantially higher 10 or 20 feet off the ground. Anything having a high profile would take the brunt of winds, which ranged from 100 mph to more than 150 mph. The four-tiered Wave Dancer ''had a huge silhouette,'' Fuller said. Tugboat captain Earl Young, who was aboard the tug Miss Gayle at the same dock during the storm, said it appeared the Wave Dancer was tied too tightly at the concrete dock for the high winds and approximate 10-foot storm surge. When the height of the water suddenly increased, lines and cleats holding the Wave Dancer broke. The 120-foot-long boat's stern came loose and tailed out,'' Young said. ''You could see the lights through the windows. That was for like 10 seconds. And then she broke away completely, moving across the channel. And suddenly there was darkness, nothing.'' | |
The boat rolled, eventually coming to rest on its side in 12 feet of water at the edge of the mangrove-lined shore. Those aboard were not wearing life jackets. Several were blown into the mangroves. The Wave Dancer was raised Nov. 1 by a salvage crew and is currently berthed at the Banana Enterprises Ltd. dock, where it was tied just before sinking, according to Patricia Rose, vice president of administration for boat operator Peter Hughes Diving Inc. ''The personal effects (of the victims) have been taken off the boat and given over to the U.S. State Department for return to the families,'' Rose said. At least four lawsuits have been filed against Peter Hughes Inc. and the boat's captain, Philip Martin, on behalf of the victims. They allege, in part, that storm and evacuation warnings were ignored and passengers and crew weren't asked to put on life jackets or assemble in a safe area during the hurricane. SOURCE - Reuters |
