The number of people who lost their lives when the MV Barima capsized last weekend, rose to 65 on Wednesday as efforts continue to re-float the 87-year-old vessel that sank as it made its way from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of the country.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips told a news conference that five new bodies had been retrieved on Wednesday and that ‘the total number of bodies recovered since the commencement of search and rescue operation now stands at 65’.
He said 44 of the bodies have been positively identified by family members and ‘to date 23 of those identified have been released to their families.
‘Regional authorities together with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security continue to work closely with grieving relatives to facilitate the release of the deceased for funeral rites and burials,’ Phillips said, adding that ‘the number of rescued passengers and crew remains unchanged at 76’.
He stressed that the government’s immediate priority is supporting grieving families and completing the rescue and recovery operation.
‘The focus now is not on compensation. The focus is on recovering bodies, financing the burial and funeral rites, and providing whatever assistance the families need now,’ he said, adding that the support currently being extended to families should not be interpreted as compensation.
‘That is not deemed compensation. That is the government’s responsibility in times like this to assist families,’ he said, adding ‘as we close off the rescue and recovery operation, it is the intention of the government to have a commission of inquiry mounted as early as possible.
‘After the commission of inquiry, then the issues of compensation will be determined because it will be guided by the commission of inquiry, the report, and the recommendations,’ he told reporters.
Phillips said that maritime assets and personnel from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy have arrived at the incident site and have joined the ongoing search, rescue and recovery operation.
‘Their teams will support diving operations and other specialised recovery activities A total of 19 vessels and three aircraft are now engaged in the operations,’ he said, adding that the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department have deployed the smaller vessels to conduct searches for the inland in an effort to locate any remaining passengers.
Prime Minister Phillips told reporters that technical teams continue to carry out detailed assessments of the capsized vessel to determine the ‘safest and most effective method’ for improving access for the diving teams operating at the site and that the current recovery plan involves repositioning the vessel before installing marine salvage airbags.
He said these buoyancy balloons around the wreckage to restore buoyancy and once afloat ‘the vessel will be towed closer to the shoreline to facilitate further search and recovery operations’.
Guyana has declared three days of national mourning, starting Wednesday ‘in honour of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.
Phillips said that during this period all national flags are to be flown at half-mast and that Wednesday has also been declared a national day of prayer.
‘Members of the public are invited to gather at the Kingston seawall at 6.00 pm (local time) for a national service of prayer and reflection. A night of reflection and prayer will be held at Port Kaituma on Thursday …and in Mabaruma on Friday,’ Phillips said.
He said that the government ‘ remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the ongoing recovery effort providing assistance to affected families and ensuring that every available resource continues to be deployed until the operation Is complete’.
The authorities also announced that a third person had been taken in for questioning by the police as the investigations continue into the cause of the fatal incident.
‘The third person who has been arrested is ….the Superintendent who oversaw the loading of the boat. My understanding is that he was invited in for questioning by the CID to explain his actions and he turn up with a lawyer and they detained him for further questioning.’
Earlier this week, the captain and a crew member had been arrested after they were found to have failed a drugs test.
Prime Minister Phillips said that it is too early to determine what charges, if any would be brought against any saying ‘you know they will take statements and the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) will do their technical work and make their recommendations.
‘That process has started. If they want more time they will go back and ask for another 72 hours. Okay, we have to follow the law here. I think we must leave this press conference with the understanding that we are following the established law, following established procedures in keeping with police investigative work,’ Prime Minister Phillips added.
The official manifest had 116 passengers and a 17 member crew, but the authorities said that as many as 179 passengers and crew may have been on board the vessel.