Guyana ferry capsizes with 116 aboard; 53 rescued

Rescuers in Guyana searched through the night and into Sunday for dozens of people missing at sea after a ferry carrying 116 passengers and crew capsized off the country’s coast, authorities said.

The MV Barima overturned near Iron Punt while travelling from Georgetown, Guyana’s capital, to Port Kaituma. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said a distress call was received at 23:01 local time Saturday, or about 03:01 GMT Sunday, prompting an urgent search and rescue operation involving state and private boats.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips told the AFP news agency on Sunday that 53 people had been rescued, Al Jazeera reported. He said authorities expected to rescue more people as the search continued during daylight hours.

“There is an active search and rescue operation that is taking place, and we pray for the safety of all,” Edghill said in a video post shared on Facebook.

The operation includes Guyana’s coastguard and private vessels, according to Edghill. He said a medical team was being sent to the search area to treat survivors “as soon as they are rescued.”

The state of the operation remained unclear, the BBC reported, and it was not immediately known whether authorities expected to recover all of the remaining passengers and crew. The circumstances that caused the ferry to capsize were also not immediately clear.

Edghill said the MV Barima was carrying substantial safety equipment, including about 250 life jackets, lifeboats and other gear. The BBC reported that he described the vessel as fitted with two rigid life crafts and six inflatable life crafts, while Al Jazeera reported he said it had eight lifeboats.

The MV Barima is 40 metres, or 131 feet, long and was built in 1939, according to a listing on VesselFinder cited by the BBC.

Prime Minister Phillips is leading the government response, the BBC reported. Authorities have not released further details on the identities or conditions of those rescued, or on how many passengers and crew remain unaccounted for beyond the 53 confirmed rescues.