Georgetown, July 21: A tragic boat capsizing incident in Guyana has resulted in the confirmed deaths of 27 individuals. According to the Guyanese government, 27 bodies were recovered from a capsized vessel near the coast over the weekend. At the time of the incident, the boat was carrying 179 passengers.
Reports from U.S. media indicate that dozens are feared dead after the boat overturned late Saturday night. Officials believe that discrepancies in the passenger list and possible drug use among the crew may have contributed to the disaster.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips stated on Monday that at least 69 people have been rescued, while 83 others remain unaccounted for.
Juan Edghill, Guyana’s Minister of Public Works, announced during a press conference late Sunday that the captain and other crew members are now in police custody.
“The search and rescue operations are ongoing. We are making every effort to locate those who are missing,” Edghill said.
The MV Barima capsized approximately seven miles off the North Atlantic coast while en route from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma.
Initially, officials reported that there were 133 people on board, but after reviewing boarding footage, they confirmed that the actual number was 179. Air traffic control received a call regarding the incident around 11 PM Saturday, prompting the launch of search and rescue operations.
Edghill noted that the initial rescue efforts were hampered by darkness and a lack of vessels equipped with scanners to locate survivors in the water. As a result, rescuers had to rely solely on visual and auditory cues to search for survivors.
Later, companies from the oil and gas sector provided vessels equipped with scanners. Additionally, the government deployed divers to search for bodies within the ferry. The scope of the search operation has been expanded from 400 square kilometers to 1,040 square kilometers (401 square miles).
Initially, Edghill stated that there were no signs of negligence on the part of the ferry operator. However, by Sunday evening, he revealed that tests confirmed the captain and at least one other crew member had used marijuana.
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