The announcement was made on Tuesday by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during an interactive session with Indigenous leaders at the National Toshaos Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Dr Jagdeo said the programme will be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and village councils, with oversight committees established to ensure the initiative is managed transparently and fairly.

He explained that the government wants to avoid complaints of favouritism or exclusion by putting a clear accountability mechanism in place before the programme begins.

According to the Vice President, the allocation of funds among villages will be based on factors such as population size, with further consultations to determine the implementation framework.

Authorities announced that assets from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy have entered Guyana’s waters and are en route to assist with the ongoing search, rescue and recovery operations.

The operation has expanded significantly, with 19 vessels and two aircraft now involved in the mission.

Technical teams are also conducting detailed assessments of the capsized vessel to determine the safest and most effective method of righting it, allowing diving teams improved access to areas that may still be inaccessible.

As of 13:00 hrs on Tuesday, four additional bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll to 57.

Officials said 44 of the recovered victims have been positively identified by relatives, while 18 bodies have already been released to their families for funeral and burial arrangements.

Regional authorities, together with the Ministry of Health, continue to provide support to grieving families and are facilitating the identification and release of victims’ remains.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has defended the loading of the MV Barima, maintaining that there is no indication the vessel was overloaded before it sank off the Essequibo coast on Saturday night.

Responding to questions from the media on Tuesday, Director General Stephen Thomas explained that while the 87-year-old vessel’s carrying capacity varies depending on the amount of cargo on board, the determining factor for overloading is the vessel’s load line.

Thomas said official documentation shows the MV Barima is certified to carry up to 394 passengers and a maximum of 126 tonnes of cargo, with its carrying capacity varying depending on the mix of passengers and cargo on board.

He explained that the amount of cargo a vessel can carry decreases as the number of passengers increases, and vice versa.

“The capacity can vary if you have cargo or a full load of cargo or no cargo,” Thomas said, adding that the vessel’s certified limits take both passenger numbers and cargo weight into account.

Asked how authorities determine whether a ferry has exceeded its capacity when passengers are not individually weighed and some people may not appear on the manifest, Thomas said the vessel’s load line serves as the accepted measure.

“If the load line isn’t submerged, the vessel isn’t overloaded,” he explained.

According to Thomas, preliminary reviews indicate the MV Barima’s load line was only just submerged before it departed Georgetown, which he described as normal because vessels sit lower in fresh water than they do in seawater.

He said, “When it goes into seawater, it would be floating higher because of the density of the water.”

Thomas therefore maintained that, based on the vessel’s load line, there was no indication it had been overloaded.

However, he acknowledged that questions surrounding how the cargo was distributed aboard the ferry remain unanswered.

“I haven’t seen the distribution of the weight. I guess the investigation would show that, but I don’t know how the weight was distributed at the top or the bottom. I don’t have a record of that,” Thomas said.

His remarks came amid continued public scrutiny over whether the vessel was overloaded with passengers and cargo, and whether the distribution of the cargo contributed to the sinking.

Thomas said those issues are expected to be examined as part of the government’s investigation into the disaster.

The death toll in the MV Barima tragedy has climbed to 53, according to the latest government figures, as search, rescue and recovery operations intensified on Tuesday in an effort to locate anyone who may still be alive and recover those who perished.

Providing an update at a press conference on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said 76 people had been verified as rescued as of 6:00 p.m., while 53 bodies had been recovered. Of those, 26 had been positively identified, leaving 50 people still unaccounted for.

Authorities revealed that the number of people believed to have been aboard the MV Barima had been revised from an initial 133, comprising 116 passengers and 17 crew members, to 179.

The updated figure includes 161 passengers and 18 crew members.

Phillips said the search area has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, bringing the total area under search to approximately 2,100 square kilometres and extending as far as Wai’ini Point.

“The whole aim is to maximize the likelihood of locating any remaining persons who are alive out there,” he said.

He disclosed that French and local divers searched inside the wreckage of the vessel in the hope of finding survivors who may have been trapped inside air pockets.

However, no one was found alive within the wreck.

According to the Prime Minister, divers located one body inside the sunken vessel but were unable to safely recover it before operations concluded for the day.

He said additional dives would continue with more equipment, while divers from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil are expected to bolster the operation.

Although the search inside the wreck has now transitioned into a recovery mission, Phillips stressed that the broader operation remains focused on exhausting every possible effort.

He said, “The Maritime Rescue Coordination Center remains fully operational, and search, rescue and recovery efforts will continue until every reasonable effort has been exhausted.

Meanwhile, families have begun receiving the bodies of their loved ones as the identification process continues.

Phillips said the Ministry of Health has started releasing positively identified bodies to relatives, while 11 victims have already been repatriated to their home communities at the request of their families.

He added that the government has been transporting relatives from Port Kaituma, Mabaruma and Georgetown to the Suddie Hospital to assist with identifying deceased family members.

“Arrangements, therefore, are in place for the continuous facilitation of repatriation requests,” Phillips said, noting that regional authorities are working with families to facilitate funeral arrangements and interment in their respective communities.

The Prime Minister also reminded all agencies and volunteers participating in the operation that any bodies recovered must be handed over immediately to the Guyana Police Force at the designated facility in Charity in accordance with established recovery and identification protocols.

He extended the government’s condolences to the bereaved families and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting them throughout the recovery process.

The 87-year-old MV Barima went down off the Essequibo coast on Saturday night, leaving dozens dead and many others still missing.

The ferry was travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One when the tragedy occurred.

The Government of Guyana will establish an independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the MV Barima tragedy that has claimed dozens of lives, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Phillips said while the government’s immediate focus remains on search, rescue and recovery efforts, a full investigation will be launched to determine what caused the disaster.

“The answers to many of your questions will come out of the subsequent inquiry that will be done,” the Prime Minister said as he responded to questions from the media about the vessel, its cargo and allegations surrounding the circumstances leading up to the sinking.

He urged anyone with information relevant to the incident to present it to the inquiry once it is established, rather than relying on speculation or unverified claims.

“When the investigation process starts, the Commission of Inquiry, or whatever you want to call it, feel free to come forward and give statements and present your facts to that commission. That will be an independent Commission of Inquiry. We are obligated as a government to do that,” Phillips said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks after being questioned about reports that heavy machinery had been loaded onto the vessel before its departure and whether mechanical issues had been reported before the voyage.

Phillips said government officials at the press conference were not in a position to verify those claims, stressing that the inquiry would provide the appropriate forum for witnesses to submit evidence and for investigators to examine the facts.

He also emphasised that the scale of the tragedy made a thorough investigation imperative.

“A lot of people lost their lives there. A lot of people, even though they may have been rescued, were left traumatised,” he said.

The 87-year-old MV Barima sank off the Essequibo coast on Saturday night while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One.

Authorities have since revised the number of people believed to have been aboard the vessel to 179, comprising 161 passengers and 18 crew members, as search and recovery operations continue.

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips says divers are searching the sunken MV Barima for any possible survivors who may still be trapped in air pockets inside the vessel.

Speaking during a sit-down interview at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Georgetown, Phillips said the vessel was found sitting on the seabed more than nine miles offshore the Devonshire Castle Flats area, in about 50 feet of water.

“We’ve identified the vessel. The vessel is sitting on the seabed just over nine miles offshore of the Devonshire Castle Flats area, all right, and about 50 feet of water,” the Prime Minister said.

Phillips said divers from Guyana and French Guiana are conducting underwater operations at the wreckage site to search the vessel and determine whether anyone remains 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 any passengers who remain on the vessel,” Phillips stated.

The Prime Minister said experts advised that a vessel like the MV Barima could contain pockets of air, meaning divers must search every compartment carefully.

“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.

Phillips acknowledged that divers are also expected to recover bodies that may be trapped inside the vessel.

He said the overall objective remains to rescue anyone still alive and recover all passengers who did not survive.

“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,” the Prime Minister said.

According to Phillips, authorities have confirmed that 179 persons were aboard the MV Barima when it sank. Of that number, 77 have been rescued, 41 bodies have been recovered, and 63 persons are still deemed 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 additional international assistance is also expected. A boat from Trinidad and Tobago with more divers is expected to arrive Wednesday morning, while another vessel from Brazil with additional divers is expected Wednesday afternoon.

The Prime Minister said the search area has also been expanded as authorities continue looking for survivors and victims. He noted that the initial search area of 400 square kilometres was first expanded to 1,070 square kilometres and later to 1,470 square kilometres.

Phillips said the operation remains focused on rescue, recovery and bringing closure to families, while the Government prepares for an independent investigation into what led to the tragedy.

Some of the recovered bodies have been taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, where family members are being asked to visit and help confirm the identities of their loved ones.

Families who believe a missing relative may be among those recovered are encouraged to come forward urgently, as officials work to provide answers and bring some measure of closure during this painful period.

Those who need help covering transportation costs to travel for identification may contact Big Birds and Sons, which has offered financial assistance to affected families.

The clarification was provided after questions were raised about how the official survivor count moved from 69 to 77 overnight.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the adjustment was mainly due to information coming in from several different sources involved in the search and rescue operation.

“As that information came in, it was carefully reviewed and verified to eliminate any duplication and provide a more accurate account of the number of persons rescued,” the statement noted.

Officials said the previously reported figure was 69. However, after additional checks were carried out overnight, authorities were able to confirm that 77 persons who were aboard the vessel had been rescued.

“This is a positive development, and we can now safely report that 77 persons have been verified as rescued,” the Office of the Prime Minister stated.

The statement added that arriving at the updated figure required the examination of records and information submitted by all those involved in the operation.

The clarification comes as authorities continue efforts to account for all persons who were aboard the MV Barima when it sank during its voyage to Port Kaituma.

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips had earlier said the vessel had 179 persons on board, with search and recovery teams still working to locate those missing.

The Government has said the operation involves the Joint Services, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, private vessel operators, fisherfolk, emergency responders and international partners.

Officials have also stressed that information is being verified before release, as authorities work to provide accurate updates to the public and bring closure to affected families.

According to officials, the total included 81 men, 37 women, 43 children and 18 crew members. The CCTV recordings have been used to help investigators match passenger details and establish who was on the vessel when the tragedy occurred.

The MV Barima left Georgetown shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2026, bound for Port Kaituma. At about 11:01 p.m., a distress call was received after the vessel ran into difficulty and capsized, triggering a major search and rescue operation.

As of 13:00 hrs today, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) has accounted for 77 persons rescued. A total of 41 bodies have now been recovered. The first recovery for the day was made at 10:15 hrs, and 14 bodies have been retrieved as of 1 pm far today.

The ongoing operation is being coordinated through the Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard leading the response on the water. Support is also being provided by the Joint Services, emergency responders, medical teams, regional officials, private boat operators, fisherfolk, community members, volunteers, civil society, the private sector and international partners.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has assured the nation that every available resource will remain deployed in the search and recovery mission. He has also promised a full, thorough and independent investigation to determine exactly what happened and whether any failures contributed to the tragedy.

Search and Rescue/Recovery operations remain ongoing, with 16 vessels deployed within the wreckage area.

The designated search area has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, extending up to Waini Point, to maximize the likelihood of locating any remaining persons.

As of 13:00 hrs today, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) has accounted for 77 persons rescued.

A total of 41 bodies has now been recovered. The first recovery for the day was made at 10:15 hrs, and 14 bodies have been retrieved as of 1pm far today.

French and local divers are continuing underwater search and recovery operations at the wreckage site. The identification of recovered bodies is currently being undertaken by family members at Suddie Hospital.

Stakeholders involved in these efforts are advised that any bodies retrieved during search and rescue and/or recovery operations should be IMMEDIATELY transferred to the custody of the Guyana Police Force at the established facility at the Charity River Dam.