Georgetown: At least 27 people have died and 83 others remain missing after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Guyana, prompting an extensive search and rescue operation.
According to Prime Minister Mark Phillips, 69 people were rescued from the vessel, which was carrying around 180 passengers when it went down.
The MV Barima, an ageing passenger ferry, sank in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday night while travelling from the capital, Georgetown, to the remote community of Port Kaituma in Guyana’s Essequibo region near the border with Venezuela.
Rescue teams continue to search for those still unaccounted for, while authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Officials have not yet confirmed the cause of the sinking, and an investigation has been launched.
