BATSUB & B.D.F. Stop a Wedding on St. George’s Caye

Gunfire and explosions at Saint George’s Caye crash a wedding party in progress as armed soldiers storm the beach. It happed on Thursday night as a group of twenty-six guests, who have been staying at the St. George’s Caye Resort for the past several days, were in the middle of the wedding party. Sometime after ten p.m. family members, as well as friends of a newlywed couple, were all socializing when helicopters descended on the tiny village.  What at first appeared to be an armed invasion, turned out to be a joint military training exercise conducted by the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and the Belize Defense Force. Residents and visitors were never informed of the scheduled activity; therefore, when the shooting commenced everyone was scared of what was taking place late into the night. The guests and members of staff as well as residents of the quiet, sleepy island were traumatized by the loud noises coming from the nearby seashore until about midnight when it all ended.   In the ensuing confusion, the proprietor of the resort was notified that the exercise could not be called off while it was in motion.  According to the resort owner, who chose to remain unnamed, several complaints were made to the British High Commission and the Belize Tourism Board earlier today and that they are aware of what transpired.  He also says that the High Commission has since apologized for the blunder.