Honduras boat and passengers are missing

A speed boat carrying eight passengers may be drifting in Belizean waters after it was reported missing off the coast of Roatan, Honduras.  On Saturday, the group left the mainland en route to the Bay Islands for an evening of recreation but never made it back.  It has been over fifty-six hours and there are no signs of the vessel or its occupants in Honduran waters.  Their disappearance has prompted various search and rescue teams to comb an area of the Caribbean Sea where it is believed they may have drifted had their vessel experienced mechanical difficulties.  American nationals eighteen-year-old Leon Buckley Jr. and sixteen-year-old Amber Burkett, along with Honduran nationals twenty-two year old Gary Zalaya, twenty-two year old Gustavo Lawrence, thirty-three year old Annie Bernard, nineteen year old Adam Centeno, fifteen year old Alexandra Bodden and Canadian national twenty year old Tasha Brown were all aboard the launch went it went missing.  The relatives of the passengers believe that the boat may be adrift in Belizean waters.  News Five spoke by phone with Kyleen Munoz, grandmother of one of the missing passengers.

Via phone: Kyleen Muñoz, Grandmother of Missing Boater

“The eight young people left here on Saturday at about around one thirty or two o’clock the evening. They get to Roatan and they had a fight in the bar between two of the young people. And they left again at about three thirty Sunday morning to come to Utila and they haven’t arrived yet. We have the Navy base from here Utila, private plane and a guy name, Theo from the U.S. on his vessel searching the whole coast of Honduras and the Bay Islands and around and nothing have been found yet. The name of the young people is Annie Bernard, Gary Zelaya, Leon Buckley, Jr., Amber Burkett, Gustavo Lawrence, Adam Centeno, Alexander Bodden and Tasha Brown.  Today again my two sons which are Leon Martin Cuello, Sr., Gordon Cuello has gone to Roatan again doing a search and the U.S.  had the plane and helicopter out and nothing has been found. Also Saturday night a sailboat left here from Utila with four passengers from South Africa and they also has been disappeared.”

Isani Cayetano

Do you believe that this has been the result of a tidal drift or they may have encountered pirates or some other form of criminals on the high seas?

Via phone: Kyleen Muñoz

“Well that’s what we have been thinking here that someone or something could be pirates or Utileans or Caymans have captured them and maybe just disappeared and we really can’t say what happened. Martin’s mom is coming from the states today or tomorrow and we will be continuing the search to see if we can find them or find something because it is not normal that eight young people has disappeared and not even the boat has been found.”

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the vessel or its occupants is asked to contact Rebecca Engel in Honduras at telephone number 504-2425-3143.  Information on the missing group has also been posted on Facebook at Utila Search Rescue.