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Today we went north to San Roman, Corozal find out about a class trip gone terribly wrong:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
The entire faculty, staff and student body of Escuela Secondaria Technica Mexico joined the families of 17 year-old Edgar Puck and 16 year-old Anahi Zepeda in their continued mourning.

Jahmoor Lopez - Representative, Ministry of Education
"We continue to mourn. As a school community we ask the nation to keep us in their prayers, to keep the family of these young persons and very promising Corozalenos and Belizeans - to keep them in their prayers and that's what we are asking for. Certainly we are doing an investigation."

Both students were part of a group that went on an educational trip to the Che Chem Ha caves in the Cayo District. On the way back from the caves, the expedition decided to stop at the low-lying bridge which connects San Ignacio and Santa Elena.

That detour was reportedly not a part of the agenda, and neither was swimming, for which parental consent was not requested on the letter to parents.

Carlos Castillo - Principal, Escuela Secundaria Technica Mexico
"They got a consent to go on the trip. There was no consent regarding any swimming."

Benjamin Puck - Father of Edgar Puck
"I read the paper and I know that that was not in the program that they should stop there where my son died. I think that they broke the rules."

Ayonie Ivonne Witz - Mother of Anahi Zepeda
"She didn't tell me that any paper I was signing would allow her to swim. She did tell me that if they got out early, the teacher told them they would go swim. But, I told her, 'how will you go swimming if the teacher didn't mention they allow her to go swimming if they didn't send any note for me to give permission for that.' she told me that the teacher said they might return back too late for them to do that. I don't know if permission for swimming was on any other note, but the one I signed said that she could go on the trip. It said that they would be back at around 3:30 or 4:30."

Nonetheless, the decision was taken, and some of the students on the trip decided to take a dip in the Macal River. The first one to go down was Zepeda; the current in the river dragged her under.?Seeing her struggle, Puck dove in to try to save her life, but the current was too strong for both of them. A few hours later, Police found Puck's body first, and then Zepeda's a short while later.

It's a terrible finish to a trip which was to enrich their lives; instead, it ended them. It also a phone call no parent wants to receive.

Ayonie Ivonne Witz - Mother of Anahi Zepeda
"For me they did wrong because, if they know that she died, why didn't they tell me the minute she died? Why did they come and tell me after I already knew? I am still asking for an explanation on what happened and they haven't told me anything up until now and I still haven't seen the teacher that was in charge."

Benjamin Puck - Father of Edgar Puck
"They broke my heart because he was smart. In his life I used to speak with him. I know that he has a vision more far and that's why they broke my body, my heart, my life because I know that he would have reach very far in life."

Both families were preparing graduation festivities, at which Puck would have been celebrated as the Valedictorian in his graduating class. Zepeda's family was also preparing to celebrate her 17th birthday during the Easter Holiday. Puck's dad angrily relates how the school wanted to give him his son's diploma.

Benjamin Puck - Father of Edgar Puck
"I don't need his diploma. I need the presences of my son. I don't need the diploma. For what do I need the diploma?"

Daniel Ortiz
"The teachers who were on the trip, after the investigation is complete, are they facing any kind of sanctions for this if indeed it is found (we are not suggesting) that there is culpability in their decisions?"

Carlos Castillo - Principal, Escuela Secundaria Technica Mexico
"Sanctions will be taken if it needs to be taken. As I said the investigation is just beginning and when its finalize as Mr. Lopez said, there is going to be a press release and maybe then you want to come back for an interview where you have the facts before us."

Both students were laid to rest this weekend. Because of the deaths of these fourth form students, the end of year exams for the graduating class have been cancelled, and their final grades will be calculated using their daily grades. This decision was made because the students have been traumatized by entire situation.