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Guyana ferry capsizes, killing at least 53
🇵🇦 Panama /Disasters & Emergencies

Guyana ferry capsizes, killing at least 53

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • At least 53 people died when a ferry carrying over 100 passengers capsized off the coast of Guyana.
  • The government confirmed no hope of finding more survivors, with 76 people rescued and 53 bodies recovered.
  • French and local divers are searching for more bodies, while Venezuela expressed solidarity with Guyana.

A ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, resulting in at least 53 deaths, the government announced Tuesday. Officials confirmed there is no hope of finding additional survivors. The vessel overturned Saturday night, hours after departing Georgetown for Port Kaituma in the interior. "As a result of ongoing verifications, we have registered 76 people rescued" and "a total of 53 bodies" recovered, Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips stated at a press conference. Earlier, a government statement reported 41 fatalities, and the number of rescued individuals was revised down from 77 to 76.

French divers from French Guiana and local teams will focus on recovering bodies. "I said search and rescue because they went to the accident site with the hope that there was still someone alive there... unfortunately, after searching the accident site, there was no one alive there," Phillips added. Search efforts began early Sunday after authorities received a distress call. The government expanded the search area to 2,100 square kilometers.

As a result of ongoing verifications, we have registered 76 people rescued and a total of 53 bodies

— Mark PhillipsGuyanese Prime Minister announcing the latest figures at a press conference.

Phillips reported that official estimates suggest the ferry carried 179 people, exceeding the 133 listed on the passenger manifest. This shipwreck represents a significant tragedy for the small South American nation of less than a million inhabitants. Port Kaituma is located in the Esequibo region, an area rich in oil and administered by Guyana for over a century, which is also the subject of a territorial dispute with Venezuela. The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "solidarity" following the shipwreck on Tuesday, stating that Caracas "is closely following the emergency situation and conveys its most sincere wishes for success in the rescue efforts."

I said search and rescue because they went to the accident site with the hope that there was still someone alive there... unfortunately, after searching the accident site, there was no one alive there

— Mark PhillipsExplaining the shift in focus from rescue to body recovery.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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