73 bodies recovered; recovery operations will continue as long as necessary – PM – INews Guyana

As search and rescue operations continue following Saturday night’s capsizing of the MV Barima, 73 bodies have been recovered, 69 of which have been identified.

The number of survivors remains at 76.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips told a news conference this afternoon that the search and recovery operations will continue as long as is necessary.

He noted that divers are currently deployed in an ongoing effort to recover additional bodies, but no further sightings have been reported.

The ferry currently lies on the seabed some nine miles off the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). The aim is to have the vessel positioned on its keel in order to bring it closer to shore where divers can safely enter.

“There is a view that if we right the vessel, that may lead to us finding more bodies,” the PM noted.

But he noted, “there has been no movement of the vessel”.

Guyana is receiving support from regional partners, including the French Guiana Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, which have deployed maritime assets and personnel to aid in recovering the missing persons.

This publication understands that the divers had successfully attached the cables and ropes to the sunken ferry; however, persons closely involved in the recovery operation explained that when they try to pull the vessel, the cables and ropes kept bursting.

Despite the rough Atlantic conditions and some divers even becoming sick, the teams remain adamant in their efforts to move the vessel.

 

Related