An unfortunate boat accident on Boxing Day has resulted in the death of 30-year-old Oscar Cornel Jr., an elected Village Councilor of Trial Farm in the Orange Walk District.
That collision at sea happened sometime around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 25, 2019. The two vessels “Baby Giselle”, and “Sir Alex” crashed into each other just off the coast of Caye Caulker, in an area approximately five miles southwest of the island. What the authorities have been able to find out is that the taxi company, Nautilus Express, was transporting five American tourists to the island. This company specializes in getting tourists from the international airport in Ladyville to their destinations on Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye. 
37-year-old Jermaine Williams, the boat captain of the vessel, “Sir Alex”, reported to police that at around 5:30 that evening, he left Ladyville with his passengers, and he was on the way to San Pedro.
Reports to the Coast Guard are that the crew of this vessel was supposed to meet up with the crew of the other vessel, “Baby Giselle,” which was being captained by Mario Rosales. Multiple reports indicate that he and his deckhand, Cornel, left from San Pedro to meet them.
It is believed that poor visibility and the weather conditions at sea prevented him and the captain of the smaller boat, Rosales, from realizing that the two vessels were on a collision course. They slammed into each other, and both vessels sustained damage. After the impact, the vessel “Sir Alex” was still able to move, and so, the captain made an emergency diversion to Caye Caulker Village. He and his passengers were escorted to the Caye Caulker Health Center for medical check-ups, and according to police, everyone was in good health.
While everyone on that vessel escaped mostly unharmed, Rosales and Cornel were not so fortunate. They were both flung from the smaller boat, “Baby Giselle”, which hasn’t been located as yet. Rosales was stranded at sea for approximately five hours until Coast Guard search and rescue teams found him. He managed to swim to a nearby caye after the collision, which is where he remained until he was located.
Cornel wasn’t so fortunate. It is believed that he was closer to the point of impact between the two boats. The authorities were immediately concerned that he was injured, and possibly unconscious as a result. His body was retrieved on the morning, of Friday, December 27; he was found off the coastline of Caye Caulker. Coast Guard and police personnel transported him to the KHMH morgue for a post-mortem.
Cornel was his parents’ only son. Since the news of the accident hit social media, there have been many kind words shared about him, as well as well-wishes for his family in this time of tragedy.
