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By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now
News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. July 22, 2026: The confirmed death toll from Saturday’s Guyana Ferry Disaster has risen to 53, with roughly 50 people still unaccounted for, as search and rescue teams continue combing the waters off Guyana’s coast and near the place where the MV Barima sank.
Guyana Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said investigations have established that 179 people, and not 133, were aboard the MV Barima when it capsized roughly seven miles offshore near the mouth of the Pomeroon River Saturday night – a figure he said is unlikely to change significantly. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, authorities had verified 76 people rescued and 53 bodies recovered, with 26 positively identified so far, leaving approximately 50 people still unaccounted for.
Sixteen vessels remain deployed within the wreckage area, and the search zone has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, extending up to Waini Point. French and local divers, including a 15-member team from the French Armed Forces in French Guiana, continue underwater search and recovery operations at the wreckage site. Bodies recovered are being transferred to Guyana Police Force custody at a facility established at the Charity River Dam, with identification carried out by family members at Suddie Hospital.
Members of the Guyana Coast Guard are working tirelessly with local fishermen and private boat owners in the search.
Captain, crew member test positive for cannabis
Separately, the captain of the MV Barima and another crew member have tested positive for cannabis and been arrested, authorities disclosed this week. Phillips said blood samples were drawn from both men following the capsizing, and that the results were released to the public as soon as they were confirmed. He said the disclosure reflected the government’s commitment to transparency, noting that when investigators separately determined more people had been aboard the vessel than listed on its manifest, that information was also released promptly.
“This remains a search and rescue operation”
Phillips pushed back against treating the disaster as settled, telling the public that recovering bodies does not mean the government has given up hope of finding survivors. “Notwithstanding the fact that we are recovering bodies, we still have hope that people are out there who are alive, and therefore we continue our search and rescue activities,” he said, urging the public to approach the tragedy with sensitivity and avoid circulating unverified reports, photos or videos.
A separate investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the capsizing, which the government has said will be full and transparent.
Three days of national mourning
President Irfaan Ali has declared three days of national mourning, from Wednesday, July 22, through Friday, July 24, with the national flag flown at half-mast on government buildings across the country. Wednesday has been designated a National Day of Prayer, with a Day of Prayer and Remembrance held at the Kingston Seawall in Georgetown. A Night of Reflection and Prayer follows in Port Kaituma on Thursday and in Mabaruma on Friday. The government has encouraged religious organizations, civic groups and citizens nationwide to hold candlelight vigils during the mourning period.
NewsAmericasNow will continue following the search and rescue operation and the investigation into the MV Barima disaster.
