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Monica Bodden returned from Flowers Bank an hour ago and she has this story:

Monica Bodden Reporting

Voice of: Kayla Williams - Witness
"I was sitting down at the bayside in the dory fishing, and I heard a splash. So I looked; sometimes the monkeys jump into the water. It wasn't a monkey; it was somebody who was swiming across. After that, I saw two people hugging, and a man was telling a lady that she must hold on. She was screaming for help. After a while, I saw him pushing her away, and she continued to float in the middle. I heard her plainly screaming. I shouted for my boyfriend, who didn't believe me at first. I told him that the lady was drowning, but I didn't know who it was."

It was 79 year-old Carl Flowers and his common-law wife Gloria Sanchez that were screaming for help. The dory that they were traveling in on the Belize River- in Flowers Bank Village - tipped over with the couple.

Monica Bodden
"When he jumped in, was Mr. Carl already going down?"

Kayla Williams
"Yes, he was already sinking because she said that he had on a rubber boots which filled up with water, which dragged him down. They saved the lady in time, and they were looking for the man."

Flowers and his common-law wife were returning home from their plantation - which is across the river. Some villagers say, a wooden seat in the canoe broke which caused the dory to tilt and then overturned.

The incident happened a little before one o'clock this afternoon. When we got their 3 hours after, Flowers common-law wife was seen covered up in a towel - still shaken from what just happened and could hardly speak. Villagers were waiting for the coast guard search and rescue team to come out and help locate the body of 79 year old Flowers.

A team showed up but left minutes after - and so villagers took the situation in their own hands to search for the body of Flowers. This one man - who rescued Flowers wife, glided his canoe up and down the river -with a candle floating inside a calabash beside his canoe - Villagers told me it is an old myth. They say the calabash will start swirling when it's near to the body.

And then, his sons Jerry and Chris arrived - well known La Ruta Maya Champs. They went upstream and begun diving in search of their father. But those searches were all unsuccessful up until the time we left - which was about 5 o'clock this evening. But the villagers still gathered along the river bank - in hopes that Carl Flowers will be retrieved soon.

Up to news time, the body had still not been recovered, but we'll have an update for you tomorrow...