Guyana ferry disaster death toll rises to 72 as recovery continues

The death toll from Guyana’s MV Barima ferry disaster rose to 72 on Thursday as recovery crews worked around a partially submerged wreck off the country’s coast. Officials said 76 people survived, while the ferry had been carrying an estimated 179 people when it capsized.

The rising toll has sharpened scrutiny of how the vessel was operating on the Georgetown-to-Port Kaituma route, a link used by remote interior communities including a gold-mining outpost. Reuters reporting said the passenger manifest was inaccurate, complicating the effort to account for everyone who had been aboard. Government estimates had already suggested that as many as 100 people may have died, underscoring how far the scale of the disaster may yet exceed the confirmed count.

Bodies were recovered in stages as the salvage operation continued. Reuters and AP coverage said the toll had climbed from 27 to 41, then to 53, before reaching 72. Earlier in the crisis, authorities said 67 people, including 15 children, had been rescued. Later reporting identified the MV Barima as an 87-year-old vessel, and CBC News said it had received maintenance in 2024 and was due for dry docking later in 2026, details that are likely to figure prominently in any review of the ship’s condition.

The ferry’s partial submersion has made the recovery effort more difficult and has slowed investigators’ ability to examine the wreck. The scale of the casualty list has also raised sharper public questions about whether the vessel had been overloaded, whether safety limits were enforced, and whether state oversight was strong enough to prevent a routine crossing from becoming a mass-casualty event.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips said an independent commission of inquiry would determine responsibility for the tragedy. Officials said the government had “nothing to hide” and that anyone found responsible would be held accountable. One survivor told AP she lost four of her grandchildren, while Phillips said the ship seemed to sink in an instant, a reminder of how quickly the disaster unfolded and how many families are still left waiting for answers.