–says 76 rescued, 53 bodies recovered as of Tuesday night; emphasises independent inquiry will allow for deeper examination of incident

PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Tuesday, assured the nation that search, rescue and recovery efforts following the tragic sinking of the MV Barima will continue until every reasonable effort has been exhausted, as the official number of persons rescued increased to 76, and bodies recovered reached 53 in total thus far.
The Prime Minister made this disclosure while providing an update on the operations during a press briefing, during which he indicated that operations have intensified following confirmation of the vessel’s location, with both local and international assets working around the clock to locate any remaining victims.
“Following confirmation of the coordinates of the MV Barima wreckage yesterday, search, rescue and recovery operations have intensified significantly,” Phillips said.
He revealed that 16 state and private sector vessels are now deployed within the wreckage area, while the designated search zone has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, bringing the total search area to approximately 2,100 square kilometres, extending as far as Waini Point.
“As at 18:00 hours today, we have recorded 76 persons rescued following our verification exercise, while a total of 53 bodies has been recovered,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that 22 of those bodies were recovered during Tuesday’s operations, and of the 53 bodies in total that have been recovered, 26 have been positively identified.
PM Phillips said 42 bodies remain at the storage facility while 11 have already been repatriated to their respective communities at the request of their families for burial.
Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister explained that while divers initially entered the submerged vessel in hopes of rescuing survivors, those efforts have now transitioned entirely to recovery.
UNDERWATER OPERATIONS
French and local divers continue to conduct underwater operations at the wreckage site.
“They hoped that if anybody was still alive there, they could have rescued them. Unfortunately, after searching the wreckage, nobody is alive there,” he said.
Divers have located one body trapped inside the wreckage but were unable to retrieve it before operations paused Tuesday evening.
“Our hope is that they will reach a point where they can extract that body from the wreckage,” Phillips said, adding that recovery efforts will continue.
As the efforts continue, PM Phillips told members of the media that additional assistance from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil is expected to arrive on Wednesday.
Personnel from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy will join ongoing operations, while the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre remains fully operational.
He said aerial surveillance also continues to complement the sea search in the expanded operational area.
Responding to questions from the media, the Prime Minister stressed that the government has been transparent throughout the tragedy.
It was against this backdrop, he pointed to the immediate disclosure that the captain and another crew member had tested positive for cannabis after blood samples were taken following the incident.
“The positive cannabis results were immediately released to the public and they were arrested,” he said.
Phillips also noted that once authorities discovered there were more passengers aboard the ferry than were listed on the official manifest, that information was promptly made public.
NOTHING TO HIDE
“These are not the actions of a government that is covering up anything,” he said.
The Prime Minister urged members of the public to exercise caution before sharing images and videos circulating on social media that allegedly show the vessel before it sank.
He explained that many passengers lost their mobile phones during the tragedy, making it difficult to verify the authenticity and timing of such material.
“Those photos and videos could be fake. We should verify first before posting and causing panic,” he cautioned.
Addressing speculation that the vessel may have been overloaded, it was disclosed that preliminary information suggests that may not necessarily have been the case.
Head of the Maritime Administration Department told the press that according to the information provided to them as part of the initial investigation, the vessel’s ‘load line’ was barely submerged upon departure, indicating that it may not have been overloaded.
“From all reports at the wharf, the vessel load line was barely submerged,” he said, noting that investigators will continue examining all possible factors.
He emphasised that a separate investigation will determine the exact cause of the ferry’s capsize.
Meanwhile, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has declared three days of national mourning in honour of the victims.
“The Government of Guyana again extends its deepest condolences to the families who have suffered unimaginable loss and remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting them through this difficult period,” Phillips said.