Recovery teams have retrieved one additional body from the wreck of the MV Barima, as a multi-agency operation involving local and international divers continued on Friday to locate those still missing following the maritime tragedy.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali provided the update while meeting with the families of those still missing at the Operations Centre in Charity on Friday, where he briefed them on the progress of the ongoing operation.
He said specialist divers had already completed two dives on Friday morning and were undertaking a third as they worked to safely penetrate the wreck.
“They are making progress in cutting things open and clearing, and as a result, they have been able to recover one more body so far from the wreck,” President Ali told relatives.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali updates families of those still missing following the MV Barima tragedy during a meeting at the Operations Centre in Charity on Friday.
The president confirmed that the body recovered was that of a male. He explained that the recovery operation remains highly technical, with divers carefully cutting through sections of the vessel and removing obstructions to gain access to additional compartments where victims may still be trapped.
“So that will be the process all day today. The divers [will be] working throughout the wreck all day,” the president said, noting that recovery efforts would continue uninterrupted.
President Ali said the operation is being supported by an international team of French and Trinidadian divers working alongside local divers.
Guyanese and Brazilian helicopters continue aerial searches over the surrounding waters.
President Ali at the Charity Waterfront with relatives of those still missing following the MV Barima tragedy earlier this week
Marine assets also remain deployed around the wreck site and nearby areas as authorities continue the search for those who remain unaccounted for.
The president assured families that every available resource is being utilised in the recovery effort and said they would continue to receive regular updates as operations progress.
He noted that another briefing would be provided following the completion of the morning’s third dive as recovery teams continue their work at the wreck site.
