Additional divers from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil are expected to join the MV Barima recovery mission as Guyanese and French Guiana dive teams continue underwater searches at the wreckage site.
Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips provided the update during a sit-down interview at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Georgetown, where he said the operation remains focused on rescuing anyone who may still be alive and recovering those who did not survive.
“In terms of assistance, we have assistance being offered, additional assistance being offered from the government of Trinidad and Tobago,” Phillips said. “So, we expect tomorrow morning a boat to arrive with additional divers, and sometime tomorrow afternoon, another vessel from Brazil with more divers to help us to recover.”
The Prime Minister said the MV Barima has been located on the seabed just over nine miles offshore the Devonshire Castle Flats area, in about 50 feet of water.
He said divers from Guyana and French Guiana are already conducting underwater operations to search the vessel and determine whether any passengers remain trapped inside.
“We have divers, and we have divers from Guyana, divers from French Guyana, who, as I speak, are conducting their diving operations to search the vessel and to rescue or recover whoever passengers remain on the vessel,” Phillips said.
Phillips explained that experts advised that a vessel like the MV Barima could have pockets of air, which is why divers must search every compartment.
“We were advised that a vessel like this will have pockets of air, so they have to go through the vessel and search every compartment of the vessel to see if there’s anybody who’s still clinging to life there,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, authorities have confirmed that 179 persons were aboard the vessel. So far, 77 persons have been rescued, 41 bodies have been recovered, and 63 persons remain missing.
He said 23 of the recovered bodies had been positively identified with the assistance of families, while hotlines are being used to help relatives provide information and travel to Suddie to assist with identification.
Phillips said the operation involves the Government, private sector, fisherfolk and other responders who moved quickly after the distress signal was received.
He also noted that the search area has been widened significantly. The initial search zone of 400 square kilometres was expanded to 1,070 square kilometres and then further expanded to 1,470 square kilometres.
The Prime Minister said assets remain deployed both in the wider search area and at the site where the vessel was found, with teams supporting the work of the divers.
“The purpose of this operation at this stage is to recover, and as I said, rescue anybody who’s out there and recover all the passengers, all 179 passengers who were there on the vessel,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the Government remains committed to transparency and will commission an independent inquiry as soon as the immediate rescue and recovery phase allows.
