Guyana appoints experts tasked with investigating ferry capsizing that killed dozens
Belize’s former attorney general will lead the probe as officials examine possible negligence, overcrowding and safety failures in the disaster.
- On Sunday, the Guyana government appointed a five-person international team to investigate the sinking of the 87-year-old MV Barima, which capsized in Atlantic waters on June 18, marking the country's worst maritime disaster.
- Survivors claimed the ferry was overloaded with cargo and passengers, asserting that crews dismissed reports of the vessel taking on water as "normal." The disaster occurred en route to Port Kaituma, an Indigenous community near Venezuela.
- Authorities believe 179 passengers were aboard, with 73 bodies recovered and 76 people rescued. Local authorities have arrested three people, including the rescued captain who allegedly tested positive for marijuana.
- Phillip Godfrey Smith, Belize's former attorney general, chairs the five-person team tasked with determining whether "any acts of negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty and other failures" contributed to the disaster. Maritime experts from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago join the investigation.
- President Irfaan Ali said the administration expects the independent commission to recommend operational reforms to "improve emergency preparedness and response and reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies occurring in the future.
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Guyana appoints experts tasked with investigating ferry capsizing that killed dozens
Guyana’s government has appointed a group of international experts to investigate the recent sinking of a state ferry that killed dozens of passengers in the country’s worst maritime disaster on record.
MV Barima, a 87-year-old boat, sank on July 18 while traveling from the capital, Georgetown; in addition to the dead, 30 more people are missing
Guyana – International Commission to Investigate Ferry Tragedy says President Ali
Into the sinking of the MV Barima, one of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters, as President Irfaan Ali promises a comprehensive investigation into what went wrong and whether failures contributed to the loss of life. President Ali announced the commission on July 25, saying the inquiry will establish the facts surrounding the ferry’s capsizing, determine whether negligence or institutional failures played a role, and recommend changes to …
Ram says Ali's COI dodges key issues
…questions why 87-year-old MV Barima was still sailing (Kaieteur News) – Chartered Accountant and attorney Christopher Ram has questioned the government’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the MV Barima disaster, arguing that while President Irfaan Ali has since named a five-member panel, the probe as constituted fails to address the most critical question of all: why […] The post Ram says Ali’s COI dodges key issues appeared first on Kaieteur Ne…
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