VP Jagdeo says persons will face consequences for MV Barima ferry tragedy

What this source establishes

News Source Guyana reports Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo addressing the National Toshaos Council Conference and saying persons will face consequences. Jagdeo states that blood was taken from rescued crew members on the initiative of authorities, that two had marijuana traces, and that they are in police custody, disclosures made while the opposition was alleging blame was being pushed downward onto the crew. He gives the manifest figures as 116 passengers plus 17 crew, confirms more than half of those rescued were not on the manifest, and says a joint GPF-GDF-MARAD task force was established.

Figures cited in this source

manifest listed 116 passengers and a crew of 17; believed 179 on board; death toll steadily climbing

Key claims

• Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said persons will be held accountable for the deadly incident, speaking as indigenous leaders met in Georgetown for the National Toshaos Council Conference.
• The manifest reflected the names of 116 persons and a crew of 17; during search and rescue it was discovered that more than half of those rescued were not listed on the official manifest.
• A joint investigating task force comprising the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force and MARAD has been established and is actively pursuing the case.
• Jagdeo said: 'There are going to be consequences for people who did this. When we rescued the crew members, we decided immediately, when they were seeking medical attention to take some blood from them, and we found two of those crew members, they had marijuana traces in their blood, and they are under police custody now.'
• Jagdeo said authorities are still trying to ascertain the true number of people on board; it is believed there may have been 179 persons aboard.
• Jagdeo said that once the distress call was received on Saturday night the entire Cabinet sprang into action, including the President, who was out of the jurisdiction at the time.
• The site of the sunken vessel was located around 2am Sunday morning, and rescuers began pulling survivors from the water.
• Prime Minister Mark Phillips indicated that it will be the President who has the final say on calls for Minister Juan Edghill to resign.

Quotations

• “There are going to be consequences for people who did this. When we rescued the crew members, we decided immediately, when they were seeking medical attention to take some blood from them, and we found two of those crew members, they had marijuana traces in their blood, and they are under police custody now.”— Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana
• “Since then we have been in search and rescue mode and until now, we are still hopeful and we are not discontinuing that effort.”— Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana

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