Death toll rises as more bodies found following boating tragedy

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The death toll from a Saturday night boating tragedy in Guyana has risen to 10, after eight bodies were discovered on Monday as teams continue the grim task of searching and retrieving bodies.

A statement issued by Guyana’s government said that the ongoing search-and-rescue operation involving the MV Barima is ongoing and that “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.

“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 brief statement added.

Tragedy struck on Saturday night when the MV Barima with more than 133 people on board, capsized after apparently being hit by a big wave as it made its way from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of the country. The authorities said 67 people have so far been rescued.

The passenger and cargo ferry capsized approximately seven miles offshore near the mouth of the Pomeroon River while en route to the North West District.

The vessel’s captain and first engineer have been arrested after both tested positive for narcotics.

The search operations continue for at least 70 other people still missing and feared dead, with the authorities confirming that a number of individuals who were rescued were not listed on the vessel’s official manifest.

President Irfaan Ali, who cut short a visit to Canada 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.

“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,” he said in a post on his official Facebook page.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said that it deployed 13 assets from first light on Monday and has since released the names of those rescued.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill has dismissed claims that the MV Barima was unseaworthy, saying that the vessel was operating within its routine maintenance schedule and was due for planned dry docking later this year.

Edghill said the ferry was last dry docked in 2024 and was scheduled to undergo its next dry docking during the latter half of 2026, alongside the MV Malali and MV Hercules, dismissing reports circulating publicly suggesting the vessel had been declared unfit for service.

Edghill has told distressed families that vessels with scanners and divers have been deployed and would enable the rescue teams to search for any life in the water instead of solely depending on eyesight or listening for calls. These vessels have been borrowed from private operators. Divers are also part of the search.

“Because we know how emotional this is, we’ve deployed a number of divers who have gone to the site of the vessel to actually go into the vessel because in our rescue efforts we must leave no stone unturned,” Edghill said.

Meanwhile, the authorities say they are investigating a report made by a fisherman regarding the possible location of the sunken MV Barima.  The  Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said based on that information it “immediately directed all assets engaged in the search and rescue/ recovery operation to the identified location to verify the reported sighting.

“Further information will be provided once the sighting has been confirmed and the responding teams have completed their initial assessment,” it added.

A 15-member team from the French Armed Forces in French Guiana has since arrived in Essequibo to assist with ongoing search, rescue, and recovery operations. Led by Lieutenant Commander Alexis Touboul, the team includes 12 specialist divers, two medics, and one mechanic.