Dozens missing after passenger ferry sinks off coast of Guyana

A ferry carrying 116 people sank off the coast of Guyana late Saturday, sparking a massive search for dozens of missing passengers in what officials are describing as one of the nation's worst maritime disasters.

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There was no engine problem or any mechanical problem. It had nothing to do with overload. It had to do with the tide.

Authorities have rescued 67 individuals, including 15 children, from the MV Barima, which departed Georgetown for Port Kaituma. A distress call was received shortly after 11 p.m., initiating an emergency response involving the Guyana Defence Force, private aircraft, and civilian volunteers.

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We dismissed it as rough water and went to sleep.

Juan Edghill, the minister of public works, stated that initial findings point to tide conditions, not engine problems or overloading, as the cause of the sinking. The ferry was reportedly operating within its legal limits, carrying 268 tonnes of cargo, well below its authorized capacity of 397 tonnes and 284 tonnes of cargo. It was equipped with 250 lifejackets, two lifeboats, and six inflatable rafts.

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I started to pray.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced the expansion of the search area to 1,070 square kilometers, deploying additional aircraft and vessels. Survivors recounted harrowing experiences of the ferry overturning in darkness. Adam Matabheek described noticing the vessel leaning hours before it capsized, initially dismissing it as rough water. His wife, Carlita Matabheek, who cannot swim, was trapped inside before a lifejacket fell within her reach. The couple and their brother, Nathaniel, were found after drifting through the night. However, their relief is overshadowed by the fact that Nathaniel's wife, Rachel Welch, and their three young children remain among the missing.

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It was Adam.