Total bodies recovered in MV Barima tragedy rises to 65; Unlisted passengers among fatalities

The total number of bodies recovered from the MV Barima ferry tragedy now stands at 65, as additional bodies were recovered overnight and today. 44 of those persons have been positively identified by family members. At a press conference this afternoon, Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced that support diving crews from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil have now joined the recovery operation. Of the 65 bodies recovered, a number of them that have been identified were found not to be on the ferry's official manifest. Already, it was revealed that a number of survivors were also not on the manifest. "The reconciliation is ongoing, I can give you a figure but we know that among those rescued and among the bodies recovered, they are persons who were not on the manifest. So that reconciliation is ongoing, it is not fully completed as yet", the Prime Minister said. Still with the numbers not fully reconciled, the Prime Minister said authorities still believe that the number of persons on board the ferry when it sank was 179. The total number of passengers rescued still stands at 76, and while the searches are ongoing, there has been no sign of life in more than 48 hours. It was also revealed today that efforts are being made to raise the ferry off of the ocean bed and bring it closer to shore to ensure a more comprehensive search. "Technical teams continue to carry out detailed assessments of the capsized vessel to determine the safest and most effective method of raising it, thereby improving access for the diving teams operating at the site. The current recovery plan involves repositioning the vessel before installing marine salvage airbags, also known as buoyancy balloons, around the wreckage to restore buoyancy. Once afloat, the vessel will be towed closer to the shoreline to facilitate further search and recovery operations", it was revealed. Meanwhile, a drone team from the Guyana Defence Force also joined the search operations today and conducted detailed surveillance closer to the shoreline in the recovery operation. Additional maritime and aerial support have also been added to the operation.