The afternoon of Glory Saturday 2026, In the middle of the tourist movement in Panajachel, Sololá, a young man disappeared in the waters of Lake Atitlán after diving in to recover a drone, according to a witness’ account.
The Volunteer Firefighters received the alert about a person who had fallen into the lake, in the private area of San Buenaventura Bay, in Panajachel, and did not manage to surface. Immediately, the Frogmen Division began the search, with support from ground personnel and the Pacific Navy, based there.
According to information collected by the Public Ministry, a young woman who accompanied the victim reported that the incident occurred when he was operating a drone. According to his testimony, the device fell into the water and the young man decided to jump in to try to recover it; However, he did not manage to get out.
Preliminary proceedings also establish that both were aboard a JetCar, a recreational vessel. Presumably, the driver was the one who jumped into the lake, while the companion remained inside the water vehicle and had to be helped as she could not maneuver it on her own. The JetCar was promoted on Saturday by several content creators, who recorded videos and then posted them on social media.
Rescuers made multiple dives for several hours, facing the depth of the lake and the limited visibility in the area. However, as night fell, conditions made it impossible to continue safely, so the search was suspended without results.
ID
Subsequently, the missing person was preliminarily identified as Jesler Estuardo Palacios, originally from Barillas, Huehuetenango.
Major Juan Díaz Muñoz reported that search efforts were resumed with the support of specialized equipment, including an aquatic drone, in a new attempt to locate the body and provide a response to his relatives.