The death toll of a ferry capsizing incident that occurred off the coast of Guyana late last week has now risen to 53, the country's Prime Minister has confirmed.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips provided details on the updated casualty figure as search and recovery operations continue in the waters just off Port Kaituma.
Guyanese media said the incident involving the state-owned ferry Barima is the deadliest maritime disaster on record to occur in the South American country.
Shipping website VesselFinder has identified the vessel's year of completion as 1939.
The incident occurred at around 23:00 local time on Saturday, July 18, as Barima was approaching Port Kaituma after having earlier departed the country's capital of Georgetown. Only 77 survivors have been recorded among the 179 people who were on board the vessel when it capsized.
A survivor told reporters that the ferry seemed to have been overloaded when it departed on its ill-fated voyage, though government officials claimed that the vessel was carrying passengers and cargo below its maximum capacity when the incident occurred.
This individual also said that the vessel had encountered an engine problem while underway but the crew decided to repair it during transit instead of returning to Georgetown.
The captain and at least one other crewmember had tested positive for marijuana, raising fears that use of the drug may have contributed to the incident. These individuals remain under police custody.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the ferry had indeed been overloaded and whether supervisory personnel had taken the necessary steps to ensure a safe voyage.
Mr Phillips assured that those whose actions contributed to the tragedy, "will face the full force of the law."
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.
