Two young sisters drowned in a water-filled septic tank pit on July 21, 2025, in Bella Vista Village, Toledo District, Belize. Seven-year-old Lauri Azucena Pimental Argueta and eight-year-old Anllely Daniela Pimental Argueta were visiting their grandmother when the tragedy occurred.

The sisters left their home at around 4 p.m. to assist their grandmother but diverted from their path. They wandered onto a construction site where an unfinished septic tank pit was left open and filled with rainwater.

Concerned when the girls did not arrive, their mother, Delmy Argueta, contacted family members, initiating a search that led to the unfortunate discovery.

The children’s bicycles were found hidden behind a nearby house, and their grandmother, Ligia Contreras, noticed one of the girls’ slippers near the water’s edge.

Using a stick to probe the water, Contreras located the girls in the pit. She noted this was unlike anything they had done before and believed their intent was innocent.

Village Chairman Jose Morales gathered details from the family. He reported that the younger sister decided to bathe in the pit, not realizing how deep it was and mistaking it for a swimming area. She entered the water after removing her clothes.

“When the bigger one saw that the younger one was drowning, she tried to rescue her, and she also drowned along with her sister,” Morales told reporters.

The family arrived by 5 p.m., and Argueta jumped into the pit to save her daughters. The water was deep enough to cover her entirely. “I tried everything I could to get them back, but it was already too late,” the mother stated.

Despite being quickly taken to a clinic, medical personnel could not save the girls. Police have initiated an investigation into the incident.

The girls’ father, Selvin Pimentel, was faced with the heartbreaking task of digging graves for his daughters instead of going to work, a scenario he never anticipated.

Pimentel appealed to individuals responsible for digging holes to be more cautious, attributing his children’s deaths to negligent pit safety.

He described how his older daughter perished in her attempt to save her sister and urged everyone in Belize to ensure holes are covered, as children may perceive the water as shallow and attempt to swim.

Following the incident, the property’s owner offered the family four steel bars, which Pimentel found offensive, questioning the value of his daughters’ lives against metal bars.

Chairman Morales noted the frequency of such occurrences, explaining that construction workers often start digging septic tanks during the dry season but fail to complete them before the rains, resulting in dangerous water-filled pits.

The village intends to hold public meetings to address construction safety. Morales emphasized the importance of addressing this community issue.

Bella Vista, with about 3,500 residents, is the largest village in the Toledo District, located ten miles from Independence and 50 miles north of Punta Gorda.

This incident marks the third child to die in water-related accidents in Belize since the previous Saturday.