Ferry Disaster Off Guyana Leaves Many Missing, Investigation Underway
WHO:
CNN - Public Works Minister Juan Edghill stated, “Search and rescue is still in progress. So to the families that are out there wondering about their loved ones, we are doing everything that is humanly possible to find them.”
CNN - Leon Murray, a passenger, reported that he and his son survived, but his wife, daughter, and four grandchildren have not been found, stating, “Six of them gone.”
CNN - Public Works Minister Juan Edghill announced that the captain and other crew members are in police custody.
CNN - Leon Murray, a passenger on the ferry, shared his experience of the disaster.
CNN - Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips stated that an investigation has been launched.
WHAT:
CNN - A number of people who were rescued were not listed on the ferry’s manifest, indicating inaccuracies in the passenger list.
CNN - Edghill initially stated there was no sign of “neglect” on the part of the ferry operator but later confirmed that the captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana.
CNN - A ferry carrying 133 people capsized off the coast of Guyana.
CNN - Authorities rescued 67 people, including 15 children, but no survivors have been found since.
CNN - The ferry, MV Barima, had 116 passengers and 17 crew members on board.
CNN - The ferry was reported to have a cargo weight of 268 tons out of a capacity of 284 tons.
CNN - The ferry was licensed to carry more than 300 passengers and was outfitted with 250 life jackets, six inflatable life rafts, and two rigid life rafts.
CNN - An investigation into wrongdoing involving members of the police force, defense force, and maritime administration department has been initiated.
WHERE:
CNN - The ferry capsized off the North Atlantic coast, approximately 7 miles from shore, while traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
CNN - The search area has been expanded to 1,040 square km (401 square miles) from 400 square km.
WHEN:
CNN - The ferry capsized late on Saturday.
CNN - Air traffic control received a distress call from the ferry around 11 p.m. on Saturday.
CNN - The ferry had maintenance in 2024 and was due for dry docking later this year.
WHY:
CNN - Authorities suggested that inaccuracies in the ferry’s passenger list hampered rescue operations because they do not know how many people they are searching for.
CNN - Authorities suggested an inaccurate passenger list and drug use by the crew might have contributed to the capsizing.
CNN - The captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana.
HOW:
CNN - Early responses to the capsizing were hampered by darkness and a lack of vessels with scanners, leaving rescuers reliant on eyesight and sound.
CNN - The initial search and rescue efforts were hampered by darkness and a lack of vessels with scanners.
CNN - Companies in the oil and gas sector deployed vessels with scanners, and the government activated divers to search for bodies.
(UPDATED July 20, 2026 17:26 UTC)
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing following a tragic ferry capsizing, with Public Works Minister Juan Edghill assuring families that everything possible is being done to locate their loved ones. Among the survivors is Leon Murray, who reported that he and his son made it out, but tragically, six members of his family remain missing. Complicating the rescue operations, authorities have noted inaccuracies in the ferry's passenger list, and while Edghill initially found no signs of neglect by the ferry operator, it was later revealed that the captain and at least one crew member tested positive for marijuana.
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(UPDATED July 20, 2026 16:28 UTC)
A ferry carrying 133 people, the MV Barima, capsized off the North Atlantic coast of Guyana, approximately seven miles from shore, while traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Authorities have rescued 67 individuals, including 15 children, but sadly, no additional survivors have been found since the incident, which occurred late on Saturday. An investigation has been launched into potential wrongdoing involving the crew, as the captain and another crew member tested positive for marijuana, and there are concerns about an inaccurate passenger list contributing to the disaster.