Guyana says capsized ferry had 179 people aboard as survivor describes a chaotic sinking

What this source establishes

An AP report from Charity by Royston Drake with Bert Wilkinson in Georgetown, carrying the corpus's central survivor testimony. Helena Moonsammy describes losing four grandchildren and nine hours in the water; Alicia Atkinson, 18, describes her three-year-old daughter being torn from her hand while she saved her infant son. It confirms 27 bodies including four children and reports the toll is expected to rise dramatically. Edghill's suspension of all loading and management staff is announced here, alongside a decades-old practice of clerks selling unmanifested seats for cash.

Figures cited in this source

As many as 179 aboard; at least 69 rescued; 27 bodies found, four of them children; manifest listed 116 passengers and 17 crew; toll expected to rise dramatically

Key claims

• 'I was fighting for my life. The boat sunk in minutes, seconds' — Helena Moonsammy, survivor who lost four of her grandchildren
• 'I told my grandbabies to cling on to anything as I hollered for them. I prayed all night and was in the water for nine hours' — Helena Moonsammy
• At least 69 rescued and 27 bodies found, four of them children; the death toll is expected to rise dramatically — Prime Minister Mark Phillips
• Though the manifest listed 116 passengers and 17 crew, authorities believe as many as 179 were aboard — Mark Phillips
• 'Brace yourself for the coming days... It is going to be a difficult period for us as a people and as a country. May God watch over Guyana and bring us through this horrible experience' — President Irfaan Ali, national address
• 'I ended up in the water and was hustling to come up for air, but my daughter just rushed out of my hand and disappeared. I miss my daughter' — Alicia Atkinson, 18, who floated about 8 hours holding debris and her 10-month-old son
• 'I have to see the bodies before I go home' — Helena Moonsammy, at the Charity hospital
• The rescued captain and at least one other crew member tested positive for marijuana and remain in police custody — officials
• Neighboring countries sent boats, spotter planes and rescue personnel, including divers from French Guiana, as officials prepare to switch from rescue to recovery
• All staff associated with the management and loading of the MV Barima have been suspended amid suspicion they illegally loaded additional people and cargo without putting them on the manifest — Public Works Minister Juan Edghill
• Passengers have complained for years that ticket clerks unofficially sell seats to friends and associates for cash without adding names to the manifest, a practice persisting for decades at state-run ferry terminals
• The MV Barima had been dry docked and overhauled in 2024 and was due for major repairs in October

Quotations

• “I was fighting for my life. The boat sunk in minutes, seconds”— Helena Moonsammy, survivor who lost four grandchildren
• “I told my grandbabies to cling on to anything as I hollered for them. I prayed all night and was in the water for nine hours”— Helena Moonsammy, survivor
• “I have to see the bodies before I go home”— Helena Moonsammy, survivor, at the Charity hospital
• “I ended up in the water and was hustling to come up for air, but my daughter just rushed out of my hand and disappeared. I miss my daughter”— Alicia Atkinson, 18, surviving passenger
• “Brace yourself for the coming days. It is going to be a difficult period for us as a people and as a country”— Irfaan Ali, President, national address

This page is a research summary prepared for comment and review. It is not the article. Copyright in the original remains with Associated Press (via WRAL); the full text is held only in the private research corpus from which this archive was compiled. Follow the link above to read it at the source.