Tue, Jul 21, 2026
Tue, Jul 21, 2026
MV Barima Tragedy: 41 bodies recovered, 77 persons rescued
As of 13:00 hrs Tuesday, there have been 41 bodies recovered following the MV Barima tragedy. Additionally, a total of 77 persons have been rescued.
The update was provided by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill in a Facebook post.
Edghill said the first recovery for Tuesday was made at 10:15 hrs. Between then and 13:00, 14 bodies were recovered. Up to Monday night, 27 had been recovered. So now, 41 bodies have been recovered in total.
Meanwhile, the number of rescued persons now stands at 77.
It was explained that the adjustment in the number of persons rescued mainly resulted from information being received from several different sources. As that information came in, it was carefully reviewed and verified to eliminate any duplication and provide a more accurate account of the number of persons rescued.
“French and local divers are continuing underwater search and recovery operations at the wreckage site. The identification of recovered bodies is currently being undertaken by family members at Suddie Hospital.
“Stakeholders involved in these efforts are advised that any bodies retrieved during search and rescue and/or recovery operations should be IMMEDIATELY transferred to the custody of the Guyana Police Force at the established facility at the Charity River Dam,” Edghill said in his post.
The MV Barima, a passenger and cargo vessel, left Port Georgetown on Saturday afternoon and was heading to Port Kaituma in Region One. Late Saturday night, tragedy struck.
This tragedy has gripped the nation, but striking revelations have raised many questions.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Sunday night said officials initially believed they were searching for 116 passengers and 17 crew members, based on the official manifest. But investigations revealed that only 35 of the 67 rescued were listed on the passenger manifest, meaning 32 survivors were never officially recorded as passengers before the vessel left Georgetown. Once this information came to light, the list of passengers was released to the public.
The vessel’s cargo manifest showed it was carrying 268 tonnes of cargo, below its licensed capacity of 284 tonnes. But now that is also under question too.
Additionally, the vessel’s captain and first engineer have been arrested after both tested positive for narcotics. This information was released to the public soon after authorities found out.
The government has said that an investigation will be launched to determine what really caused the ferry to capsize. President Dr Irfaan Ali has promised a full and thorough investigation into the entire tragedy.