Body of Senator Gomez is Found in a Lake in Paraguay

The body of Senator Zulma Gomez was found lifeless on Sunday in the waters of Lake Acaray, in the department of Alto Parana, informed the Paraguayan authorities, who initially consider drowning as the cause of her death.

RELATED:

MERCOSUR Summit to Address Trade Relations With China

The member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) was rescued by firefighters about 20 meters from a pier located on her property. The firefighters moved to the scene after the senator's husband alerted the authorities about her disappearance.

The search for Gomez began around 2:30 local time this Sunday, after she was not found by her granddaughter on the dock where she had decided to spend the night after participating with PLRA supporters in a meeting on the occasion of the Day of the Friendship.

The coroner Pablo Lemir said that the first evidence points to "mechanical suffocation by submersion" adding that the senator's body shows injuries compatible with a fall.

The corpse has contusive injuries on the left side of the body, specifically on the heel, the lumbar region and the back of the skull, which suggests that she slipped and hit her head.

Lemir confirmed that authorities will perform a toxicological analysis and seek to rule out a potential heart attack.

After knowing the fact, the president of the Congress, Oscar Salomon declared three days of mourning in the Legislative. His party and his political leaders also lamented the death of the leader. Gomez, 61, was a representative in the Lower House between 2003 and 2008. Later, she became a member of the Senate.