Several people were feared dead after a ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, authorities said.
The ferry MV Barima left Guyana at the northeast corner of South America on Saturday afternoon, carrying at least 133 people for a trip from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said that the list of people on board was not “a true reflection of the occupants on board,” asking family members and loved ones to reach out to officials to create an official tally of those missing.
The inaccuracy in the list of passengers has created an additional challenge as authorities do not know how many people they are searching for.
The rescue operations were launched after air traffic control received a distress call from the ferry around 11pm local time on Saturday.
Rescue teams have so far saved 67 people. The rescued victims include 41 men, 11 women, six boys and nine girls, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said in a statement Sunday.
“The families of those rescued, as well as the relatives of all recorded passengers and crew members, have been engaged,” Phillips said, adding that “the captain and mate of the vessel, who were among those rescued, have returned to the area to assist with the search and rescue operation.”
However, no survivors have been found since Sunday afternoon.
“Search and rescue is still in progress,” Public Works Minister Edghill said. “So to the families that are out there wondering about their loved ones, we are doing everything that is humanly possible to find them.”
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said investigators are looking into the incident, adding that two crew members were found to have tested positive for cannabis.
Phillips said that the vessel, which had had maintenance in 2024 and was due for an inspection later this year, reported a cargo weight of 268 tons out of a 284-ton-capacity.
It was licensed to carry more than 300 passengers and it was equipped with 250 life jackets, six inflatable life rafts and two rigid life rafts, according to the prime minister.
“Let me be absolutely clear: where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law,” Phillips said in a Sunday evening press conference.