At least 27 people have been confirmed to have died after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana over the weekend, the country’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips said Monday.
Another 83 others are still missing as a search and rescue operation continued.
Phillips said that 69 people had been rescued from the vessel that had been transporting around 180 people when it overturned.
“Our focus again is on finding people,” Phillips said, after raising the death toll from a previous 10. “We still have hope.”
What is known about Saturday’s capsize
The ferry MV Barima left Guyana at the northeast corner of South America on Saturday afternoon for a trip from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Shortly after the incident, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said that the list of people on board was not “a true reflection of the occupants on board,” and he had asked family members and loved ones to reach out to officials to create an official tally of those missing.
The inaccuracy in the list of passengers created an additional challenge as authorities initially were unable to ascertain exactly how many people they were searching for.
Rescue operations continue
The rescue operations were launched after air traffic control received a distress call from the ferry around 11 p.m. local time on Saturday.
Phillips, in a statement on Sunday said that rescue teams had managed to save over 60 people. The rescued victims include 41 men, 11 women, six boys and nine girls.
“The families of those rescued, as well as the relatives of all recorded passengers and crew members, have been engaged,” Phillips said, adding that “the captain and mate of the vessel, who were among those rescued, have returned to the area to assist with the search and rescue operation.”
However, no survivors have been found since Sunday afternoon.
“Search and rescue is still in progress,” Public Works Minister Edghill said. “So to the families that are out there wondering about their loved ones, we are doing everything that is humanly possible to find them.”
Probe into circumstances of capsize launched
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said investigators are looking into the incident, adding that two crew members were found to have tested positive for cannabis.
Phillips said that the vessel, which had had maintenance in 2024 and was due for an inspection later this year, reported a cargo weight of 268 tons out of a 284-ton-capacity.
It was licensed to carry more than 300 passengers and it was equipped with 250 life jackets, six inflatable life rafts and two rigid life rafts, according to the prime minister.
“Let me be absolutely clear: where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law,” Phillips said in a Sunday evening press conference.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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