HGP Nightly News – Survivors of the MV Barima disaster have reportedly told authorities that a powerful wave struck the ferry moments before it capsized off the Essequibo Coast late Saturday night.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill disclosed the preliminary accounts Sunday morning as search-and-rescue teams continued looking for those who were aboard the vessel.
“From what we’re hearing, they hit a big wave. It was a big wave that canted the Barima,” Edghill said. “Preliminarily, that’s what we’re hearing from everybody who we have spoken to.”
The minister stressed that the survivors’ accounts have not established the cause of the disaster. A formal investigation will examine the evidence, including whether the ferry struck another vessel or object, experienced a structural or mechanical failure, or overturned because of sea conditions.
Edghill said the incident appeared to have unfolded without warning.
“Everybody we’ve been talking to said it was so sudden,” he related.
The MV Barima was carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members on its journey from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, according to figures provided by the government.
At the time of Edghill’s update, 67 people had been rescued, including 15 children and several crew members. The figures could change as rescuers locate more survivors and reconcile their identities against the vessel’s passenger list.
Edghill discussed the preliminary findings while speaking with the adult children of missing crew member Richard Moe, 55, after a government news conference at the Umana Yana.
The first distress message was received at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday. The Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, Maritime Administration Department and several privately owned vessels were subsequently mobilised.
Search efforts intensified after daybreak as improved visibility allowed boats and aircraft to cover a wider area. An OMNI helicopter carrying rescue swimmers was among the private resources deployed.
Poor telephone service near the scene has made it difficult for the authorities to confirm reports in real time. Edghill urged the public to treat unverified information cautiously while the operation remains active.
The Ministry of Health has established emergency response centres in Regions Two and Three to receive survivors and provide treatment. The government said their names would not be released immediately, allowing officials to confirm their identities and contact relatives first.
Edghill has rejected claims that overloading or mechanical problems caused the ferry to capsize. He said the MV Barima was operating below its licensed passenger and cargo limits.
Those assertions have not yet been independently verified through the passenger list, cargo manifest and vessel certification documents. The records are expected to be examined during the investigation.
Built in Scotland in 1939, the MV Barima had undergone several rounds of rehabilitation during its decades of service. The passenger and cargo ferry regularly operated between Georgetown and Port Kaituma, travelling along the Atlantic coast before entering the river system leading to the Region One community.
