Dozens feared dead after passenger ferry carrying over 100 people sinks off coast of Guyana - CNN

What the report says

CNN, carrying Reuters reporting, said Guyanese officials reported Tuesday that 41 bodies had been recovered after the MV Barima capsized off Guyana’s North Atlantic coast late Saturday. The ferry was traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma and went down about seven miles offshore. Authorities now say 179 people were aboard, revising an earlier figure of 133 after reviewing boarding footage.

The prime minister’s office said at least 77 people had been rescued, with 61 still unaccounted for. A distress call reached air traffic control at about 11 p.m. Saturday, prompting a search operation that officials said was initially limited by darkness and a lack of scanner-equipped vessels. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said oil and gas companies later provided vessels with scanners, divers were activated, and the search zone was widened to 1,040 square kilometers.

Officials said the captain and other crew members were in police custody. Edghill said the captain and at least one crew member tested positive for marijuana, while an inaccurate passenger manifest complicated efforts to determine who was missing. Some rescued passengers were reportedly not listed on the manifest. Prime Minister Mark Phillips said the vessel had reported 268 tons of cargo against a 284-ton capacity, was licensed for more than 300 passengers, and carried life jackets and rafts.

The disaster has raised questions about maritime safety, crew conduct and official oversight. Phillips said an investigation had begun into possible wrongdoing involving police, defense force and maritime administration personnel, and that any proven negligence, misconduct or criminality would be pursued under the law.