HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – Nearly three months after the MV Barima tragedy, relatives of those who died and families still waiting for news of missing loved ones took their demands directly to the Office of the President on Tuesday, insisting that the sunken vessel be raised and those still unaccounted for be recovered.
The protest outside the President’s Office on Vlissengen Road brought together affected families, representatives of political parties and members of civil society, as pressure continues to mount for answers and accountability over the July 18 disaster.
Latest publicly reported figures indicate that 73 bodies have been recovered, approximately 30 people remain unaccounted for and 76 survived.For families of the missing, the continued presence of the MV Barima on the seabed remains a major point of contention.
They have repeatedly argued that salvaging the vessel could not only assist in recovering the remains of persons still missing, but could also preserve potentially important evidence about what caused the ferry to sink.
While the government has initiated a process to secure specialised salvage services, no confirmed date has been publicly announced for when the vessel will be raised.
Tuesday’s demonstration comes as the five-member Commission of Inquiry prepares to begin its work.
The Commissioners are expected to start engagements with survivors and affected families on Wednesday before conducting inspections at the Kingston Wharf, the Maritime Administration Department and the Transport and Harbours Department.
Visits to Mabaruma and Port Kaituma are also planned ahead of formal public hearings, which are scheduled to begin on October 14. More than 100 potential witnesses have been identified, including survivors, relatives, first responders and government officials.
The Commission is expected to examine the vessel’s seaworthiness and maintenance, passenger and cargo loading, the competence of its crew, compliance with maritime requirements and the adequacy of the search, rescue and recovery operation.
The inquiry, initially expected to last two months, could now take approximately six months to complete.
Meanwhile, Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson are before the courts on murder charges in connection with the tragedy.
The charges remain allegations, and all three are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
But as the official inquiry gets underway, families are making clear that their immediate concern has not changed: they want the MV Barima brought to the surface and their missing relatives brought home.
