No new development in search and recovery operations

Jul 26, 2026 News

---

By Khadidja Ba

(Kaieteur News) – Heavy grief blanketed the community of Port Kaituma in Region One as families gathered to lay to rest two young brothers, six-year-old Omarius and eight-year-old Orwin Europe, among the latest victims of the MV Barima capsizing.

The brothers, students of the Port Kaituma Primary School, were aboard the aging vessel when it overturned on July 18. Classmates stood alongside heartbroken relatives, weeping openly as the two small caskets were lowered into a shared grave.

Speaking at the funeral, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Sarah Browne struggled to contain her emotion as she addressed the grieving family.

“There is nothing that I can say at this point that can bring them back,” Browne said. “As a mother, I feel your pain… I pray that you find the strength to move forward from this. I don’t know how a mother can.”

In a separate service in Port Kaituma, loved ones paid tribute to Maryann Bernard, another victim of the disaster, remembered warmly by neighbors and friends. Browne told mourners that she hoped the government could “put systems in place so this doesn’t happen again.”

Construction crews in nearby Mabaruma and White Water continue building tombs as bodies are returned to their home communities. Of the 73 bodies recovered, 69 have been positively identified and 63 released to grieving relatives, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said at a press conference on July 24. More than thirty funerals have taken place across the region so far.

Authorities confirmed there would be no press briefing Saturday evening, as search and recovery efforts had yielded no new developments since Friday.

Search operation widens, yields no new bodies

Phillips confirmed Friday that 17 state assets, three aircraft and 14 maritime vessels, remain active across a search grid expanded by 32 square miles, stretching west to Waini Point and east to Adventure.

Divers completed five dives on Friday in zero-visibility, muddy waters, cutting through tarpaulins and hull debris to prepare for a possible righting of the vessel. No additional bodies were recovered.

“The water is not only murky, but muddy,” Phillips said, warning that although no bodies were spotted Friday, righting the wreck “may lead to us finding some more bodies.”

Authorities have built a working manifest of 179 people aboard using surveillance footage from the boarding area, accounting for 76 survivors and 73 confirmed dead, with the remaining figures still being reconciled.

Commission of Inquiry draws political backlash

While families mourn, a bitter political dispute has erupted in Georgetown over President Irfaan Ali’s announcement of a Commission of Inquiry. President Ali said the panel would include distinguished experts in law, marine engineering, maritime safety and disaster investigation. The announcement, however, drew immediate criticism from the opposition parties over the lack of prior consultation.

“Given the magnitude of this national tragedy, I am disappointed that neither I, as Leader of the Opposition, nor any parliamentary opposition party was consulted in the establishment of the Commission,” the Leader of the Opposition said. “In an effort to build national confidence, this should have been an inclusive and transparent process.”

A joint opposition statement issued by WIN, APNU, FGM, AFC and VPAC welcomed the inquiry in principle but criticised its timing, noting it was announced shortly before Parliament was scheduled to debate opposition motions on the disaster.

The coalition demanded a separate technical marine safety investigation under the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code and SOLAS standards, arguing that a political Commission of Inquiry cannot substitute for specialised technical analysis. It also called for expanding the Commission’s mandate to scrutinise ministerial oversight, guaranteeing the impartiality of the Commission’s Secretary, and demanding the immediate resignation or leave of absence of Public Works Ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar.

PM Phillips has repeatedly dismissed calls for Edghill’s resignation, saying ministerial appointments remain strictly within President Ali’s purview.

Questions mount over the vessel and its oversight

The MV Barima, built in 1938, was deployed on the Georgetown–Port Kaituma route because the newer MV Ma Lisha cannot dock at Port Kaituma due to delayed wharf upgrades. Pressed on whether that delay contributed to the disaster, the Prime Minister conceded it had directly prevented the government from deploying the Ma Lisha on the route instead.

Maritime Administration Department Director General Captain Stephen Thomas was unable to explain when or why the Barima’s certified capacity had been modified from its original 1938 rating of 120 tons of cargo and 150 passengers, saying only that he did not have that information.

Controversy has also surrounded the burial of several victims, including Venezuelan nationals. PM Phillips maintained that all burials have followed family wishes and religious customs, but some Venezuelan relatives have publicly disputed this, alleging that family members were buried in earthen graves against their explicit requests.

Police investigations remain ongoing. Crew members who tested positive for prohibited substances have been detained, while Transport and Harbours Department staff connected to the vessel have been placed on administrative leave.

---

• capsizing, MV Barima, Orwin Europe, Port Kaituma, recovery operations

---