Over 60 people are feared to have died after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana on Saturday, July 18.
Authorities said the locally-registered Barima had just departed the country's capital of Georgetown and was en route to Port Kaituma with 133 passengers and crew when she capsized approximately 11 kilometres from shore around four hours into her journey at approximately 23:00 local time on Saturday.
Only 67 people who were on board the ferry have been rescued as of the afternoon of Sunday, July 19. The survivors included 15 small children.
Search and rescue (SAR) operations were still ongoing as of early morning on Monday, July 20. However, the effort has been hampered by the lack of specialised sensors that can be used under low-light conditions, thus forcing SAR teams to rely only on their eyesight.
The search area has since expanded to cover an area spanning more than 1,040 square kilometres.
Guyanese Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said that the captain and some of the crew have been taken into police custody as part of the investigation into the tragedy.
The minister added that 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.
Officials have also noted that the names of some survivors were not listed on the vessel's passenger manifest, thus resulting in conflicting accounts as to the actual number of people who were on board when the incident occurred.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said that an investigation has been launched to determine whether the incident was caused by neglect on the part of the vessel's crew, the police, the defence force, and maritime administration officials.
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.
