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GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- The search for survivors continued in Guyana Monday after a ferry, believed to be overloaded, capsized over the weekend, with the government noting that at least 35 of the 67 people rescued were not on the manifest list.
Hopes of finding missing passengers and crew are beginning to fade, as Prime Minister Mark Phillips told reporters late Sunday that officials believe there were many more than the documented 116 passengers and 17 crew members aboard the decades-old ferry.
Phillips also noted that the rescued captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana and remain in police custody pending a criminal investigation.
The MV Barima capsized off the Essequibo coast late Saturday while en route from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma in northwest Guyana, near Venezuela. Only two bodies have been found.
The prime minister said the government is launching an urgent and comprehensive probe, concentrating on the accuracy of the manifest, cargo loading, compliance with safety rules and the conduct of the captain and crew before sailing, among other issues.
“Let me be absolutely clear: Where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law,” he said. “There will be no exceptions and no tolerance for actions that placed innocent lives at risk.”
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said he is devastated about the worst marine disaster in decades and the latest developments.
“We have a zero tolerance for members of the crew drinking or smoking while at work. And for us to have positive tests from the captain, this is serious,” he said. “People’s lives are at risk, and those matters will be dealt with.”
Edghill acknowledged that officials don’t know how many people were aboard the ferry because the manifest list is not accurate.
“Nobody for the want of a few extra dollars can cheat a system and compromise the entire search-and-rescue operation,” he said. “To be confronted with a reality that despite an official manifest given to us, persons who were rescued were not manifested, that is a criminal action.”
Passengers have complained for years that clerks unofficially sell seats to friends and associates for cash while not listing them on the manifest, a scheme that has been ongoing for decades at state piers.
Boats and ferries are commonly used across Guyana, a heavily forested country with scant road systems in its interior. Many who use ferries do so because cargo rates are cheaper compared with air freight charged by domestic airlines offering daily flights to interior communities.
Several passengers said on social media that water had been seeping into the cargo area as the MV Barima limped along the North Atlantic coast on its now ill-fated voyage to Port Kaituma.
The vessel, built more than 80 years ago, was last dry docked for major repairs in 2024 and was due for additional major repairs in October.
