Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21
Guyana Ferry Death Toll Hits 41 as Captain Tests Positive for Marijuana
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21

Guyana Ferry Death Toll Hits 41 as Captain Tests Positive for Marijuana

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21

Summary

  • Fourteen more bodies were recovered from the MV Barima wreckage, lifting the death toll to 41 after the ferry capsized off Guyana on Saturday night.
  • Authorities say 77 people were rescued, but dozens remain missing after the vessel carried 179 people despite a passenger manifest listing only 133.
  • Police detained the captain and at least one other crew member after marijuana tests came back positive, adding to scrutiny over possible negligence and misconduct.
  • Sixteen vessels, backed by French and local divers, are searching the wreckage area as officials call it Guyana’s worst maritime disaster in decades.

Insights

With 63 passengers missing, was the sinking of an 87-year-old ferry a disaster waiting to happen?
A ferry sinks on the route to infamous Jonestown. Does this tragedy echo a history of neglect in Guyana's remote regions?