The death toll from last weekend’s boating tragedy has risen to 10, after eight bodies were discovered on Monday as teams continue the grim task of searching and retrieving bodies.
A statement issued by the Guyana government said that the ongoing search-and-rescue operation involving the MV Barima is ongoing and that “by 12:35 pm (local time), eight bodies had been recovered during today’s operation, bringing the total number of confirmed bodies recovered since the incident to 10.
“The identification process includes the involvement of relatives and will be done at the Suddie Hospital. The Government remains fully committed to the operation and continues to deploy all available resources to locate and account for every person who was aboard the MV Barima at the time of the tragic incident,” the brief statement added.
Tragedy struck on Saturday night when the MV Barima with more than 133 people on board capsized after after apparently being hit by a big wave as it made its way from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of the country. The authorities said 67 people have so far been rescued.
The passenger and cargo ferry capsized approximately seven miles offshore near the mouth of the Pomeroon River while en route to the North West District.