MV Barima tragedy: “Time will come for justice… but today we comfort and mourn” – Pres Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has assured that while there will be justice for the victims of the MV Barima tragedy, the focus now is on supporting survivors and those families who have either lost loved ones or are still anxiously awaiting news of missing relatives.
“There will come a time for questions, for truth to rise, for justice to speak, but today is not that day. Today, we mourn. Today, we offer comfort. Today we stand with the broken and say with our every breath, ‘You are not alone’,” the Head of State declared.
He was addressing mourners during a prayer service held on Wednesday evening following a candlelight vigil/walk at Charity on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), where survivors and family members gathered in hopes of receiving news of their loved ones still unaccounted for following Saturday night’s capsizing of the MV Barima.
So far, 76 persons have been rescued, 72 bodies recovered, and at least 31 still unaccounted for after the ferry capsized off the Essequibo Coast.
Recovered bodies are taken to Charity for identification and storage. Already, more than 20 of the 65 positively identified bodies have been handed over to family members.
The Government is covering transportation and funeral expenses for the families of these victims, who, according to the Guyanese leader, are enduring unbearable loss. But even though this tragedy has inflicted immortal wounds on the nation, the head of state reassured that the entire country will continue to rally and support the survivors as well as those who have lost loved ones.
“This wound is deep and terrible. It has shaken us to the core, but it shall not break us… Your grief is our nation’s grief. Your tears are our nation’s tears. We cannot remove your pain or restore what was taken from you. But I want you to know this with absolute certainty: we stand with you. Your Government stands with you. Your fellow citizens stand with you. Your country stands with you. As long as there is breath within this nation, we shall carry you in our prayers, in our compassion, and in our unwavering commitment to your healing. You are not alone,” the president declared.
The prayer service at Charity comes as Guyana observes a three-day national mourning in remembrance of the victims of the MV Barima tragedy, which commenced on Wednesday with a national interfaith prayer service held at the Kingston Seawall in Georgetown.
It continued on Thursday with a ‘Night of Reflection and Prayer’ at Port Kaituma and then a similar event scheduled for tonight at Mabaruma – both in Region One (Barima-Waini).
Currently, the search and rescue operation continues off the Essequibo Coast, where the sunken MV Barima remains on the seabed. Technical teams are actively trying to reposition the vessel to a floating state in order to bring it closer to shore so that divers can gain better access inside.
Local divers have been supported by regional experts from the French Guiana army, Brazilian navy, and Trinidad and Tobago coast guard, which have also deployed maritime assets to assist with the recovery operations.
The MV Barima departed the Georgetown stelling at about 15:00h on Saturday on its scheduled voyage to Port Kaituma, Region One, carrying 179 persons, including 18 crew members and cargo. According to officials, the vessel encountered rough sea conditions off the Essequibo Coast near the mouth of the Pomeroon River late that night.
Survivors have recalled that the ferry began tilting to one side before capsizing, throwing passengers into the water in less than a minute. A distress signal transmitted at approximately 23:01h was received by aviation authorities, triggering a large-scale multi-agency emergency response that continues.
Addressing concerns raised in the aftermath of the disaster, blood samples were taken from the captain and crew members for testing. Authorities released the results showing positive tests for cannabis and subsequently arrested the captain and at least two crew members. Another official from the Transport and Harbours Department (THD), which manages ferry services, was also detained as part of the police investigation.
Subsequently, the Government, in its initial probe into the issue, uncovered that more people were aboard the vessel than had been recorded on the original passenger manifest. That information, along with the manifest, was immediately made public and has since led to the suspension of several managers at the THD.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Government has also announced that an independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) would be launched to determine the circumstances that led to the sinking of the MV Barima. That investigation is expected to examine all relevant factors before any further actions are taken.