Twenty tourists in Belize are feared to have died when their boat was hit by Hurricane Iris.
Twenty-eight divers, most of them American tourists, were aboard the Wave Dancer as the storm hit Belize with 140 mph winds. A spokeswoman says only eight people have been accounted for.
Mrs Patricia Rose, of Peter Rose Diving in Miami, says the boat had been chartered by the Richmond Diving Club of Richmond, Virginia.
"A strong storm surge lifted the boat in the air, snapping the line and capsizing it. The boat may have hit a wall or the dock. It was secured," she said.
The 120 foot boat had been tied to a dock in a mangrove along with other diving boats near Big Creek, close to where the storm came ashore, 80 miles from Belize City.
"Belize City was evacuated so we could not put the guests in a hotel. We were forced to keep them on the boat," she said.
The boat capsized in approximately 12 feet of water. It did not sink but is turned on its side.
"We're hoping for survivors but I don't know that it's likely," she said.
Local radio stations report Iris has flattened several coastal towns, destroying hundreds of houses. It was not immediately clear if there were other deaths.
The hurricane raised seas by 13 to 18 feet above normal, according to the Us National Hurricane Centre in Miami, and forecasters predicted rainfall totals of five to eight inches.
The British Army, which has 250 soldiers in Belize at a training Centre, pledged to help in rescue operations.
PA