Guyana reports ferry disaster death toll rises to 41

By AFP

This report was published on 21 Jul 202621 Jul 2026.

The ferry accident has become one of the deadliest in Guyana's history.

Guyanese authorities have revised the death count from last weekend's ferry disaster off the coast to a minimum of 41 people.

Officials said on Tuesday that 14 additional bodies had been recovered by search teams, adding to the 27 reported dead the previous day after the MV Barima capsized at sea on Saturday night.

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Seventy-seven people have been reported rescued. Search crews continue looking for dozens who remain unaccounted for.

The vessel was carrying a total of 179 people when it flipped over, even though the passenger manifest only listed 133, officials have said.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has called the accident the nation's most severe maritime tragedy in decades, stating that officials are making every effort to find those still missing.

The government said 16 vessels have been deployed to the wreckage area, where French and local divers are leading operations.

The ferry was travelling from the capital, Georgetown, to Port Kaituma in Guyana’s inland Essequibo region when it capsized.

Authorities have pointed to the incomplete passenger list and potential drug use among crew members as factors that potentially contributed to the disaster.

Police have announced that the ferry’s captain and at least one other crew member were taken into custody after testing positive for marijuana.

“We have a zero tolerance for members of the crew drinking or smoking while at work. And for us to have positive tests from the captain, this is serious,” Edghill said.

The ferry was built in 1939, according to the shipping website VesselFinder.

Boats typically travel by sea before reaching a river to arrive at Port Kaituma, which is located in the depths of a dense rainforest.

Guyana, a small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America, is locked in a territorial dispute with neighbouring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

Authorities have pointed to an incomplete passenger manifest and possible drug use among crew as contributing factors. The captain and one crew member have been detained after testing positive for marijuana. Search operations continue, with 16 vessels deployed to the site.