The island community of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, is in shock this evening as a very rare and tragic accident took the life of a dive master at the Amigos del Mar Dive Center after an explosion occurred inside the tank compressing unit located inside the dive shop.
The explosion that occurred at around 4:30p.m. on Monday, October 08, 2012, was heard in various area around town and shook buildings close to the dive shop. The accident which is rarely unheard of, took the life of Hector “Chapin” Duran, an employee of Amigos del Mar who operates the tank compression unit.
Duran was filling dive tanks at the dive shop when one of the tanks exploded, causing him to receive serious and fatal injuries to the body. The fire department and medical personnel were at the scene after which the body was immediately transported to Belize City for a post mortem.
Update: Official Police Report:
SUDDEN DEATH
On Monday, October 8, 2012, at 4:45pm, Police visited Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop located on the Beachfront Area, San Pedro Town, where upon arrival, the body of Hector Duran, 39 years old, and Belizean employer of Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop and a resident of San Pedrito Area, San Pedro Town, was seen lying face up motionless with a large cut wound over the abdominal area, the right side of his chest area and a large cut wound to the palm of the right hand with the right thumb severed. Initial investigation revealed that about 4:45pm on even date, DURAN was refilling some dive tanks and in the process one on the tanks exploded in which a fragment of the tanks hit him causing the fatal injuries. The body was transported to the KHMH Morgue where it awaits a post mortem examination. Police investigation continues.
