GEORGETOWN, Guyana - The Guyana parliament was told Monday that one of the 77 persons rescued following the July 18 MV Barima tragedy that left 73 people dead and several others missing and presumed dead, has died as legislators clashed verbally as to who should take the blame for the country’s worst ever maritime disaster.
Government legislators surround Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who is drinking water, as he makes a statement on behalf of President Irfaan Ali as opposition legislators protest.Prime Minister Mark Phillips in a prepared statement to the National Assembly said that the search and rescue/recovery operations are continuing as he gave legislators “an account concerning the tragedy” as well as the support provided to the affected families.
He said two days after the incident, where it is believed that the 87-year-old vessel had capsized after being hit by a huge wave, “the MV Barima was found resting on the seabed approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of the point of uninitialed distress communicated by the Air Traffic Control tower”.
Phillips said that this was based on the report made by Haresh Singh and the assistance provided by local fisherfolk, ExxonMobil Guyana, VESHI and Sealand Survey’s Gilligan Island in confirming the vessel’s exact position.
The prime minister said that in the final operational update issued last Friday, the government advised that the coordinated search and recovery operation remained active throughout the day.
He said that the designated search area had been expanded by an additional 32 square miles, westwards to Waini Point and eastwards to Adventure, while aerial surveillance flights continued.
“Five dives, each lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, were completed on 24 July. During one of those dives, one body was recovered from within the MV Barima. This brought the cumulative number of bodies recovered to 73, of whom 69 had been positively identified.”
Prime Minister Phillips said that “this tragedy has caused immeasurable grief across our country” and that the Irfaan Ali government “extends its deepest condolences to every family that has lost a loved one and remains committed to supporting those affected.
“May the families who have suffered loss find strength and comfort, and may the souls of those who perished rest in peace,” he said, as the government extended its gratitude to the various stakeholders involved in the search and rescue operations, including the assistance provided by France, Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health said that of the bodies recovered five remain unidentified, and that the authorities are seeking the public’s assistance. It said that the unidentified victims are four males and one female.
The official manifest showed that the vessel, which was travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of the country, had 116 passengers and a crew of 17. But the authorities have since said they believe that there were 179 people on board the vessel.
The ministry said the identification of the victims is essential to ensuring that they are returned to their loved ones with dignity and afforded a respectful and proper burial.
Monday’s parliamentary session became very heated, as opposition legislators claimed that the government wanted to carry on with “business as usual” even in wake of the deadly ferry tragedy.
During the Opposition’s protest for more than five hours inside the parliament, the Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Amanza Walton, today said the one minute of silence in the National Assembly is simply not enough for the victims and their families.
“They have come here and they have the agencies heads here because they come for money, they come for money. Because you have all the agencies heads in here, because for them it is business as usual.
“Not a nation, we are sorry, not a nation we take responsibility. One hundred and something Guyanese lives boil down to one minute of silence and then they want to go for money. We are not having it, and to the people of Guyana, y’all need to come out because what these people are showing you is that despite how much we holler and shout in here, they are prepared to walk over you and go on with business as usual, so you all better get out here and stand up to this government”, Walton said.
The opposition’s protest became even more heated when Attorney General Anil Nandlall delivered from President Ali who called for unity as the country deals with the issue.
“Our nation today bleeds from the calamitous loss of so many of our sons and daughters, no words can truly capture the depth of grief that has descended on our country. This tragedy has shaken our Republic to its very foundation.
“It has left an ache in every community, in every home and in every heart. It is a wound that we will carry together and it is one that history will forever recall as among the greatest sorrows of our nation”, Nandlall said on behalf of the head of state.
But as he spoke, the opposition legislators loudly protested demanding the removal of the government ministers, including the Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill, over their handling of the tragedy.
“The magnitude of the tragedy has left countless families bearing immeasurable burdens of grief, our hearts are especially with them, and I once again extend our deepest condolences to every family and every individual that has suffered unimaginable losses. We mourn with you and we grieve beside you. Your pain has become the nation’s pain.
“To those who survived this horrific ordeal, we know that survival itself carries its own burden. The memories of that dreadful night may remain with you for years to come. You are not alone, your country stands beside you”, Nandlall quoted from Ali’s statement.
“Our responsibility to these families does not end with recovery operations. It will continue for as long as necessary. We shall walk with them through their grief, assist them in rebuilding their lives and ensure that they never face this burden alone,” Nandlall said, as the opposition legislators stepped stepped towards the Attorney General, forcing the Speaker to plead with them to return to their seats.
Government legislators later surrounded the Attorney General as he continued the speech.
