A ferry carrying 116 passengers capsized off the coast of Guyana late Saturday, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation. Eight people have been recovered alive so far, with the fate of more than 100 others still unknown.
The MV Barima sent a distress signal at 23:01 local time on 18 July while en route from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, sinking near Iron Punt. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill announced the search operation, with both state and private vessels joining the effort. Prime Minister Mark Phillips is leading the government response.
The 40-metre vessel, built in 1939, was equipped with 250 life jackets, two rigid lifeboats and six inflatable craft. Port Kaituma lies inland in the Essequibo region, an area at the centre of a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.