At least 41 dead in Guyana capsized ferry disaster

At least 41 people died after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana over the weekend, the government said Tuesday.

The MV Barima was traveling from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Guyana’s inland Essequibo region when it flipped over on Saturday night.

A desperate search for survivors has been underway since early Sunday, with 77 people rescued so far and dozens more missing, according to authorities.

A government report released Tuesday revised the death toll from 27 to 41.

“A total of 41 bodies have now been recovered,” it stated.

“The first recovery for the day was made at 10:15 am (1415GMT), and 14 bodies have been retrieved as of 1 pm” Tuesday, it added.

There had earlier been confusion over how many were involved in the tragedy due to an inaccurate passenger manifest which listed 133 people aboard, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said.

But on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said he was confident that 179 people had been on board when the accident occurred.

Two crew members aboard the aging ferry tested positive for marijuana after the incident, he told reporters Sunday, adding that an investigation was underway.

The ship began its journey in mid-afternoon and a distress call was received about eight hours later.

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 neighboring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

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