In a developing maritime emergency off the coast of Belize, a routine fishing voyage between Caye Caulker and Belize City has devolved into an ongoing search and rescue mission, with one man recovered alive and his companion still unaccounted for as of Monday, August 3, 2026.
The two fishermen, Samuel Chi and Albert Vacarro, contacted their family members shortly before 7 p.m. on Sunday to report they were en route to the Belize mainland. When the pair failed to arrive at their destination by the end of the night, local authorities were alerted and launched an immediate search operation.
Lieutenant Mark Choc, Operations Officer for the Belize Coast Guard, outlined the step-by-step response to the unfolding incident in a statement to local media. First responders dispatched an initial Coast Guard patrol from Caye Caulker, which systematically searched waters stretching from the island to Vista Del Mar through midnight Sunday. When that first sweep yielded no sign of the two fishermen or their vessel, a secondary search unit was activated at approximately 1 a.m. Monday to reinforce the effort.
Through the early morning hours of Monday, no trace of the pair was found. By 9 a.m., authorities expanded the operation into a full joint search mission, bringing in assets from the Belize Port Authority and the Belize Fisheries Department to expand the search area. Just two hours later, at around 11 a.m., a Belize Coast Guard vessel located Vacarro floating in open water.
The survivor was found southwest of Hicks Caye, 10 miles west of Belize City and approximately five miles off the mainland coast. First responders conducted an immediate medical assessment, which confirmed Vacarro was suffering from severe dehydration and significant disorientation. In his confused state, he was unable to provide details about what led to the incident or what became of his traveling companion Chi.
As of Monday evening, Chi remains missing, along with the fishing vessel the two men were operating. Authorities have not been able to pinpoint the location of either the vessel or Chi, and search operations are set to continue through the coming days.
Choc added that medical care for the recovered Vacarro is the top priority for authorities, and no formal interviews will be conducted with him until his health is stabilized. This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast covering the developing incident.