A 58 year old American tourist from Minnesota, Jeffrey Thomas Bartl drowned at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve while he was on a snorkeling tour. Bartl, his brother Clayton and two other friends went snorkeling with Ambergris Divers at the reserve yesterday morning with tour guide Alfredo Trejo. However some15 minutes into the snorkeling tour tour guide Alfredo Trejo noticed that Jeffery was not responding to his calls and had his head submerged under water. The guide immediately swam to him and saw that he was not breathing. Police say he immediately called for the park rangers' assistance who took Jeffrey out of the water and began administering CPR. They rushed Jeffery to the San Pedro Polyclinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival at around 10 am. The body was transported to the KHMH where a post mortem examination classified the cause of death as "Asphyxia due to drowning." In a press release the Belize Tourism board expressed sympathies to the family and friends of Jeffery Bartl. Authorities have not indicated if Jeffery suffered from any medical condition that could have contributed to his drowning. Bartl is the second American tourist who has passed away during a snorkeling expedition since the start of this year.
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