Fishermen find one dead, three survivors of missing group of divers in Belize

A fishing vessel found three divers who had been missing since Saturday and the body of a fourth floating in the waters off Belize on Monday.

It was unclear whether the mishap was caused by Hurricane Wilma, which had passed by further out to sea hours before, or by engine problems aboard the boat which may have sparked a failed attempt to swim to shore.

The divers apparently had floatation devices that allowed them to keep afloat during their three-day ordeal at sea. No cause of death was provided for the diver found dead.

The survivors were flown to a small military hospital outside Belize City, after the Honduran fishing boat plucked them from the sea.

The three were to be taken later to the Universal Hospital, a private hospital in the capital, said police spokesman G. Michael Reed.

A Belizean military aircraft spotted the divers on a reconnaissance flight earlier in the day and alerted vessels in the area to rescue them.

No immediate information was available on the names and nationalities of the divers, two men and two women.

The group was part of a 12-person expedition which left South Silk Caye, 15 miles (25 kms) south of the southern resort community of Placencia, on Saturday morning despite a small craft warning and extremely rough seas and strong winds in the wake of Hurricane Wilma.

Part of the group had remained at the caye; the group's boat developed engine troubles, and some members the missing divers apparently tried to swim to a nearby island, and may have been swept away be currents, reports the AP.

P.T.