The Guyana government has launched a criminal investigation after the passenger ferry MV Barima sank late Saturday night off the coast of Guyana, killing two people and leaving dozens missing. Officials revealed that the vessel's passenger manifest was inaccurate, complicating rescue efforts.
Inaccurate Manifest and Drug Allegations
Authorities initially reported 116 passengers and 17 crew members on board based on the ship's manifest. However, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told a press conference on Sunday that only 35 of the 67 people rescued so far were listed on the manifest. The captain and the first engineer allegedly tested positive for cannabis and are in police custody.
“I am outraged. We are talking about operational breaches; people will be dealt with,” Edghill said at the press conference in Georgetown.
Search and Rescue Operation
The MV Barima departed Georgetown at around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday for Port Kaituma in the Essequibo region. A distress call was received shortly after 11 p.m., triggering a response from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and Air Corps, private aircraft, fishing vessels, and civilian volunteers. The search area was expanded from 400 square kilometers to 1,070 square kilometers, with additional aircraft and vessels deployed.
Survivor Accounts
Survivors described the chaos when the ferry capsized in darkness. Adam Matabheek, traveling with his wife, brother, sister-in-law, and three young nieces and nephews, noticed the vessel leaning hours before it overturned. “We dismissed it as rough water and went to sleep,” he said. The vessel rolled over, and he grabbed a lifejacket and drifted through the night.
His wife, Carlita Matabheek, who cannot swim, became trapped inside the overturned vessel before a lifejacket fell within her reach. “I started to pray,” she said. After calling for her husband, she felt someone tugging her hair—it was Adam. The couple and Adam's brother, Nathaniel, spent the night drifting until rescuers found them after daybreak.
“God cleared the skies and saved us,” Carlita said. However, Nathaniel’s wife, Rachel Welch, and their three children—Nathaniel Jr., 8, Natalia, 5, and Ezekiel, 3—remain missing. According to the family, Rachel was thrown from her hammock as the ferry capsized and tried desperately to reach her children before they disappeared.
Another survivor, Loureen Singh, a trader, survived by holding on to the same lifejacket as Carlita after telling her she could swim “a little.” Carlita urged her: “Hold on to me.” The two women remained together throughout the night until rescued.
Government Response
Prime Minister Mark Phillips called the inaccurate manifest “deeply concerning and shocking.” He announced an urgent investigation involving the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Maritime Administration Department, and other experts. “Where negligence, misconduct, or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law,” Phillips said.
The MV Barima was certified to carry 397 passengers and 284 tonnes of cargo, equipped with 250 lifejackets, two lifeboats, and six inflatable rafts. Guyana’s international and regional partners have offered assistance in the search and rescue.
