The human toll of the MV Barima tragedy came into sharp focus Saturday evening when a 14-year-old survivor recounted losing six relatives—including his grandparents—during an emotional meeting with Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and other survivors in Port Kaituma.

The gathering, held exactly one week after Guyana’s worst maritime disaster in decades, brought together seven survivors and relatives of victims to share their experiences publicly for the first time. Mohamed said their testimony deserved to be heard by the entire nation.

“With me, I have seven survivors, seven heroes that made it. So, I would like to hear their story, because their story, of course, is a story for this entire country… to know exactly what transpired on that night.”