Guyana Ferry Disaster Death Toll Climbs to 10 as Search for Missing Passengers Continues

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (CMC) — The number of people confirmed dead in last weekend's ferry disaster has climbed to 10, after search teams pulled eight more bodies from the water on Monday while the difficult work of recovering victims carried on.

In a statement, the Guyana Government said the search-and-rescue effort centred on the MV Barima was still under way. "By 12:35 pm (local time) eight bodies had been recovered during today's operation, bringing the total number of confirmed bodies recovered since the incident to 10," it said.

The Government added: "The identification process includes the involvement of relatives and will be done at the Suddie Hospital. The Government remains fully committed to the operation and continues to deploy all available resources to locate and account for every person who was aboard the MV Barima at the time of the tragic incident."

The disaster happened on Saturday night when the MV Barima, carrying more than 133 people, overturned after it was seemingly struck by a massive wave. The vessel was travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village in the country's Barima-Waini administrative region, when it went down.

According to the authorities, 67 people have been pulled to safety so far. The passenger and cargo ferry capsized roughly seven miles from shore, close to the mouth of the Pomeroon River, as it headed toward the North West District.

Both the captain and the first engineer have been taken into custody after each tested positive for narcotics. Crews are still searching for no fewer than 70 people who remain missing and are feared dead, and officials have confirmed that several of those rescued did not appear on the ferry's official manifest.

President Irfaan Ali, who ended a trip to Canada early on Sunday night, said he met on Monday with "our brothers and sisters who were rescued, as well as the families of those affected by the MV Barima tragedy." He added: "I also visited survivors receiving medical care at the Mabaruma Hospital. We will continue to work closely with every affected family, providing the necessary support and assistance during this difficult period," in a message on his official Facebook page.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said it put 13 assets into action from daybreak on Monday and has released the names of those brought to safety.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill rejected suggestions that the MV Barima was unseaworthy, insisting the vessel was operating in keeping with its regular maintenance schedule and was set for planned dry docking later this year. He noted the ferry was last dry-docked in 2024 and was due for its next dry docking in the second half of 2026, together with the MV Malali and MV Hercules, brushing aside public claims that it had been ruled unfit to sail.