The death toll from the capsizing of the passenger ferry MV Barima off the coast of Guyana reached 53 on Tuesday. Emergency crews have rescued 76 survivors from the North Atlantic waters, but authorities are now transitioning the operation from rescue to recovery. The disaster has exposed severe infrastructural and procedural failures within the state transit system, prompting criminal investigations into the crew and port employees.
Key Details
- Up to 179 people were aboard the vessel Saturday night, far exceeding the official passenger manifest of 133.
- The rescued captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana and remain in police custody.
- The 87-year-old ferry was scheduled for major dry-dock repairs in October before it sank seven miles off the coast.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips provided the updated casualty figures during a late-night press briefing. The vessel sank during a routine journey from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. According to an official casualty briefing, recovery teams do not expect the number of survivors to rise beyond the 76 people already pulled from the water.
The discrepancy between the official manifest and the actual number of passengers has triggered an immediate government response. Survivors reported that terminal clerks routinely sell off-manifest seats for cash. Following these allegations, the Guyanese government suspended all terminal staff associated with the loading of the MV Barima, a vessel built in 1939.
Initial search efforts struggled against darkness and a lack of specialized scanning equipment. That changed as private companies from Guyana’s oil and gas sector deployed vessels equipped with advanced marine scanners. Neighboring countries have also intervened, including the arrival of specialized divers from French Guiana, as the government enforces a zero-tolerance policy on crew drug use. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill characterized the sinking as Guyana’s worst maritime disaster in decades.