Ferry capsizes off Guyana, authorities searching for dozens of missing passengers
Initial signs are that the ship flipped over after being hit by a big wave, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said
An ageing ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, with rescue teams saving 67 people, officials said, as the search continued into Monday.
The ferry MV Barima left the small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America Saturday afternoon with at least 133 people aboard for a trip from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Port Kaituma is inland in the oil-rich Essequibo region, and the ferry travels along the coast in the Atlantic before heading upriver to reach its jungle destination.
Guyanese Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told a press conference on Sunday that a ship manifest listing 133 people on board was not “a true reflection of the occupants on board,” asking family members and loved ones to reach out to officials to create an official tally of those missing.
Preliminary findings found that the ship flipped over after being hit by a big wave, Edghill said earlier on social media. “Search and Rescue Advancing. 67 persons, inclusive of 15 children rescued so far,” he said.