Three Family Members Drown in Chile Rescue Attempt

A tragic incident off the coast of Algarrobo, Chile, claimed the lives of three family members on March 9 when they attempted to rescue a woman swept out to sea by powerful Pacific Ocean currents.

Benjamín "Ben" Wood, a 43-year-old American-Chilean food and beer influencer originally from Connecticut, was walking along the beach with his 77-year-old father, Norman Ray Wood, and his partner, Maria Jose Duarte Ureta, 47, when they spotted 26-year-old Patricia del Pilar Bello Labe struggling in the surf. Bello Labe had been knocked into the water by a large wave, and her partner, Felipe Hernández Bustos, rushed in to help her. The Wood family joined the effort without hesitation, but the strong currents quickly overwhelmed them, pulling all into deeper waters.

According to Chilean officials and reports from the scene, Norman Wood and Ben Wood drowned rapidly in the rough conditions. Duarte Ureta was rescued alive but succumbed to her injuries shortly after at a local hospital. Bello Labe also perished in the incident. Hernández Bustos survived after Chilean Navy personnel airlifted him to safety via helicopter. The same rescue team later recovered the bodies of Ben Wood and his father.