MV Barima tragedy: Captain, first engineer arrested; only 35 of 67 rescued were on passenger list

Authorities now say they are unsure how many people were aboard the vessel that capsized seven miles offshore Guyana on Saturday night and have arrested the captain of the vessel after he tested positive for narcotics.

Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, who has responsibility for the transport sector, said the authorities were initially searching for 116 passengers as that was on the manifest; they were also searching for 17 crew members.

But now, it has been discovered that only 35 of the 67 rescued have been found to have been listed on the passenger manifest.

Having realised that some of those rescued were not on the manifest, it became clear that the passenger list was wrong.

“I am outraged.

“We are talking about operational breaches; people will be dealt with,” Edghill said at a late-night press conference in Georgetown.

The captain is in Police custody as well as the first engineer, both of whom tested positive for narcotics.

Two people have been confirmed dead.

Guyana’s international and regional partners have offered assistance in the search and rescue operations.