Overview
- A ferry identified as MV Barima capsized off Guyana on Saturday night and rescue operations have recovered dozens of survivors and bodies while many remain unaccounted for.
- Guyana officials reported shifting totals as searches progressed, with roughly 69–77 people rescued, at least 27 and later 41 bodies recovered, and scores still missing as authorities reconcile incomplete passenger records.
- Preliminary inquiries in Guyana point to a large wave as a possible trigger, investigators have noted the ferry was extremely old (built in 1939), and tests showed some crew members, including the captain, were positive for cannabis.
- A separate sinking near Selayar, Indonesia, followed an apparent engine failure on Wednesday and rescue teams have found seven survivors so far while many other passengers remain missing and manifests were found to undercount those aboard.
- Both incidents have highlighted routine safety problems: unreliable passenger lists, lax enforcement and aging vessels that complicate searches, increase casualties and have prompted formal investigations that could affect regional ferry oversight.