Ferry carrying 133 passengers and crew sinks off Guyana coast

The MV Barima, a 40‑metre vessel built in 1939, went to sea from Georgetown bound for Port Kaituma and capsized near Iron Punt on Saturday night.

Local authorities say that 67 people have been rescued so far, including 15 children and the vessel’s captain. Dozens of passengers remain missing.

A distress call was received at 23:01 local time (03:01 GMT). The call set in motion a search effort involving government teams and privately‑owned boats. By Sunday the search area had been more than doubled.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced on Facebook that the rescue went on in the hope that all onboard could be accounted for. He noted that the ferry had been within its weight capacity at the time of the incident and that it was licensed to carry more than 300 passengers.

Assistance centres have been set up to support the relatives of the rescued passengers as well as those still missing.

The MV Barima was fitted with 250 life jackets, two rigid life‑crafts, and six inflatable life‑crafts. The vessel’s length is 40 metres (131 feet).

Full details, including the names of all onboard, will be released once rescue operations and medical checks are complete.