Benjamin “Ben” Wood, 43, a U.S. craft beer influencer who had lived in Chile for more than a decade, died after entering the sea in a rescue attempt that sparked a chain of events resulting in four deaths on Chile’s central coast.
Incident and victims
The episode occurred around 7 p.m. in the northern sector of Algarrobo, in the Valparaíso region, when a large wave swept a woman, Patricia del Pilar Bello Labe, 26, into the ocean. Several bystanders attempted rescues. Among those who went into the water were Wood; his 77‑year‑old father, Norman Ray Wood, who was visiting from the United States; and María José Duarte Ureta, 47, a journalist and sales manager for Tropera Brewery. Felipe Hernández Bustos, who had been with Bello, was pulled from the water by Chilean Navy personnel and survived.
Official findings and investigation
Prosecutor Francisco Martínez said the victims include two U.S. citizens — a father and son — and that authorities determined the cause of death for all four victims was drowning by asphyxiation from immersion. The Investigations Police Homicide Brigade opened a probe into the accident. A high surf warning had been in effect for the area over the preceding weekend, local outlets reported.
Wood’s career and tributes
Wood, a Connecticut native, built a following of more than 30,000 on Instagram where he posted recipes and cooking tips often featuring craft beer. He arrived in Chile nearly 13 years ago and launched ventures that shaped the country’s craft beer scene, including the shop Beervana, Alameda Beer Co and the hamburger restaurant El Honesto Mike. Days before his death he announced a new venture, Craftwork Chile.
Wood’s daughter confirmed his death in an Instagram Stories post on March 11. In a message translated from Spanish she wrote: “March 9 will be for you and to remember how you gave your lives for others, just like you did many times before … I love you to the moon and back.”
Other remembrances
The Universidad Austral de Chile’s Puerto Montt campus noted that Patricia del Pilar Bello Labe was a member of the law program’s inaugural class, its first graduate and licensed attorney; the university said her dedication to education and academic life would always be remembered.
Local news outlets Biobio Chile and Diario El Dia reported the identities of the victims and the sequence of rescue attempts that led to the multiple fatalities.
Image Referance: https://www.ntd.com/4-dead-including-beer-influencer-after-rescue-attempt-goes-wrong-on-chilean-coast_1131726.html