Guyana’s government said Monday that 27 bodies have been recovered from a ferry that capsized off the coast over the weekend with 179 people on board.
Dozens of people were feared dead after the ferry capsized late Saturday. Authorities suggested that an inaccurate passenger list and drug use by the crew might have contributed to the situation.
At least 69 people have been rescued but 83 are yet to be found, Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips said Monday.
The captain and other crew members are now in police custody, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said at a press conference late Sunday.
“Search and rescue is still in progress,” Edghill said. “So to the families that are out there wondering about their loved ones, we are doing everything that is humanly possible to find them.”
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The MV Barima capsized off the North Atlantic coast, approximately seven miles from shore, while traveling from the capital, Georgetown, to the village of Port Kaituma, authorities said.
