The government says 41 bodies have now been recovered from the MV Barima disaster, but it remains unclear whether that figure includes the bodies reportedly recovered separately by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s independently organised search team.
In its latest update on Tuesday, the government said 77 survivors have been accounted for and 41 bodies recovered as search and recovery operations continue around the clock. Authorities said 16 vessels remain deployed around the wreckage site, while the search area has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, extending to Waini Point.
The statement noted that the first body recovered on Tuesday was found at 10:15 a.m., and that 14 bodies had been recovered by 1:00 p.m. French and Guyanese divers continue underwater recovery operations at the site where the ferry rests on the seabed.
However, the government’s update did not indicate whether the official recovery total includes bodies reportedly recovered by Mohamed’s search team.
Mohamed, who has mobilised private vessels and volunteers to assist in the recovery effort, said his team recovered several bodies and turned them over to the Guyana Police Force at Charity for official processing. To date, authorities have not clarified whether those recoveries form part of the government’s reported total of 41 bodies.
The lack of clarity comes as concerns continue to mount over the flow of information surrounding one of Guyana’s worst maritime disasters in decades.
The MV Barima, an 87-year-old passenger and cargo ferry, capsized late Saturday while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One. Initially, officials reported that 116 passengers and 17 crew members were aboard. However, authorities later acknowledged that the passenger manifest was inaccurate, with Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips stating on Monday that investigations indicate 179 people were on the vessel.
Addressing the nation, Phillips maintained that the operation remains a search-and-rescue mission despite the increasing death toll.
“This remains a search and rescue operation. Notwithstanding the fact that we are recovering bodies, we still have hope that people are out there who are alive, and therefore we continue our search and rescue activities,” he said.
The government has pledged a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sinking, while police investigations are also continuing after authorities confirmed that the captain and another crew member tested positive for cannabis following the tragedy.
Meanwhile, families continue to gather at Suddie Hospital, where relatives are assisting authorities with the identification of recovered victims. Officials have directed that all bodies recovered during search and recovery operations be transferred immediately into the custody of the Guyana Police Force at the designated facility at Charity.
As the recovery mission enters another day, the unanswered question over whether the government’s official death toll includes those recovered by Mohamed’s team has added to growing calls for greater transparency as Guyana grapples with one of the darkest chapters in its maritime history.
