The Government of Guyana has appointed a team of international experts to investigate the ferry capsizing incident that left over 70 people dead off the country's coast earlier this month.
The five-person team chaired by Phillip Godfrey Smith, Belize’s former attorney general, will determine the probable causes of the capsizing of the 87-year-old ferry Barima during a scheduled voyage in the late evening (local time) of July 18.
The team also includes a naval architect, an attorney, and maritime experts. Local media reported that they will examine whether the capsizing was a result of professional negligence.
The appointment of the international investigators came as the incident's confirmed death toll climbed to 73 with the recovery of additional bodies from the surrounding waters.
The incident occurred at around 23:00 on 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 had earlier 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.
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.
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.
