At least 27 bodies have been recovered after the MV Barima ferry capsized late Saturday off the Essequibo coast in Guyana, with officials warning that the death toll is expected to rise significantly. Authorities believe as many as 179 people may have been aboard the 87-year-old vessel, a figure far exceeding the 116 passengers and 17 crew listed on its manifest.
One survivor, Helena Moonsammy, recounted the terrifying experience, stating the boat sank in "minutes, seconds." She described trying to save her four grandchildren as boxes fell on her and desperately clinging to something while in the water for nine hours. "I prayed all night and was in the water for nine hours," she said.
Sixty-nine people have been rescued so far, including four children among the recovered bodies. The ferry was on a trip from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma in northwestern Guyana, near Venezuela, when it began taking on water.
President Irfaan Ali acknowledged the gravity of the situation, urging citizens to "brace yourself for the coming days" in a national address, calling it "a difficult period for us as a people and as a country."
An investigation into the incident is underway. The rescued captain and at least one other crew member have tested positive for marijuana and are in police custody. The Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, announced that all staff associated with the management and loading of the MV Barima have been suspended, amid suspicions of illegal loading of additional people and cargo not recorded on the manifest.
Passengers have previously raised concerns about ticket clerks unofficially selling seats for cash without adding names to the manifest, a practice reportedly ongoing for decades at state-run ferry terminals. The MV Barima had undergone an overhaul in 2024 and was scheduled for major repairs in October.
Neighboring countries have dispatched boats, planes, and rescue personnel, including divers from French Guiana, as the operation transitions from rescue to recovery. Friends and relatives of the missing have gathered at a hospital in the coastal town of Charity to identify loved ones.