Dozens missing after passenger ferry sinks off coast of Guyana

The Coast Guard, private aircraft, fishing vessels and civilian volunteers helped rescue passengers after the MV Barima sank on Saturday night. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The Coast Guard, private aircraft, fishing vessels and civilian volunteers helped rescue passengers after the MV Barima sank on Saturday night. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Dozens missing after passenger ferry sinks off coast of Guyana Emergency response has rescued 67 people, including 15 children, from one of the country’s worst maritime disasters A ferry carrying 116 passengers and crew sank ⁠off the coast of Guyana in South America ⁠late Saturday, with 67 ⁠people, ​including 15 children, rescued so far, according to Guyana ⁠authorities. A massive search-and-rescue operation continues for dozens of missing passengers in what has been described by officials as one of the country’s worst maritime disasters. The ferry MV Barima left Georgetown, the capital of the English-speaking South American country, on Saturday at about 3.15pm for Port Kaituma, located in the oil-rich Essequibo region and just off the border with Venezuela. A distress call was received shortly after 11pm, prompting an emergency response involving the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and Air Corps, private aircraft, fishing vessels and civilian volunteers. Juan Edghill, the minister of public works, said preliminary investigations indicate the vessel was operating within its legal limits. “There was no engine problem or any mechanical problem. It had nothing to do with overload. It had to do with the tide,” Edghill told local reporters. He said the MV Barima was certified to carry 397 passengers and 284 tonnes of cargo. Its manifest showed it was transporting 268 tonnes of cargo, below its authorised capacity. The ship was equipped with 250 lifejackets, two lifeboats and six inflatable rafts, Edghill said. In a statement on Sunday, Guyana’s prime minister, Mark Phillips, said the search and rescue coordination centre had expanded the search area from 400 sq km to 1,070 sq km, with additional aircraft and vessels deployed alongside local fisherfolk familiar with the waters. View image in fullscreen The emergency response involved the Coast Guard, the Air Corps and volunteer fishing vessels and private craft. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images The 67 survivors include 41 men, 11 women and 15 children. As the rescue effort continues, survivors recounted the moments when the ferry overturned in darkness. Adam Matabheek, who was travelling with his wife, brother, sister-in-law and three young nieces and nephews, said he noticed the vessel leaning several hours before it capsized. “We dismissed it as rough water and went to sleep,” he said. Moments later, the vessel rolled over. “I ended up in the water,” he recalled, saying he managed to grab a lifejacket before drifting through the night. His wife, Carlita Matabheek, who cannot swim, said she became trapped inside the overturned v