GEORGETOWN— In neighboring Guyana, a passenger boat with 116 passengers and seventeen crew members capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday evening. A total of 67 people have been rescued, while 65 people are still missing. So far, only one body has been recovered, but the fate of the other 65 people on board is feared.
The MV Barima was traveling from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma on the Kaituma River around 3 p.m., a trip that typically takes 24 to 30 hours depending on weather and tides. According to survivors, during the first part of the journey they encountered rough seas and a huge wave caused the boat to capsize.
“I tried to grab my baby, but a falling box or piece of cargo knocked the child out of my hands“
Passenger Elena Moonsammy
Fifteen children saved
An emergency signal was sent out around eleven o’clock in the evening, after which the emergency services immediately took action. Since then, the Guyanese Coast Guard and local private boats have been scrambling to find those on board. Fifteen children were among the 67 people who were fished out of the water alive until Sunday evening. In addition, eleven women and 41 men were rescued, including the ship’s captain. Only one body had been recovered so far,
The MV Barima was built in Scotland in 1939 and has a length of over forty meters and a width of about nine meters. In 2017, the vessel, which can accommodate around 250 passengers, underwent a final thorough renovation. According to reports in the Guyanese media, the boat should have been taken out of service a long time ago due to the existing defects, which would cause safety risks, especially on the open sea. Moreover, the ship was equipped with 250 life jackets, inflatable life rafts and other legally required safety equipment, the authorities assured.
Images released from the rescue operation show some of these rafts. The eyewitness accounts of survivors who died via News Room Guyana have been released are heartbreaking. Most of the passengers were sleeping peacefully in their hammocks when the ship suddenly capsized in the middle of the night.
Elena Moonsammy, a mother who was on board with her seven children, including a baby, tearfully described how the ship tilted heavily to one side within seconds and immediately filled up. “I tried to grab my baby, but a falling box or piece of cargo knocked the child out of my hands.” When she finally surfaced, she was completely alone and had lost contact with all seven of her children.
Adam Matabheek and his wife Carlita survived the disaster. They floated for hours with Adam’s brother, Nathaniel, on their life jackets. However, the tragedy for them is immense: Nathaniel’s wife Rachel and their three young children aged eight, five and three years old went missing in the panic and have not been found so far.
Already defective before capsizing
The exact cause of the disaster remains to be investigated. But while authorities have cited “an unexpectedly high wave” as the possible culprit in the accident, some passengers who survived have said the ship was malfunctioning or taking on water slowly even before it capsized, leaving people with wet feet on the deck.
According to President Irfaan Ali, who is currently abroad, the search will continue and no effort will be spared to bring the missing passengers to safety. He expressed his condolences for the passengers and their families and thanked the rescuers for their efforts. It is not known where he has traveled or whether he plans to return early because of the disaster. In his absence, Prime Minister Mark Phillips serves as acting president and directs the rescue operation.
