The government says 41 bodies have now been recovered from the MV Barima disaster, but it remains unclear whether that figure includes the bodies reportedly recovered separately by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s independently organised search team.

In its latest update on Tuesday, the government said 77 survivors have been accounted for and 41 bodies recovered as search and recovery operations continue around the clock. Authorities said 16 vessels remain deployed around the wreckage site, while the search area has been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, extending to Waini Point.

The statement noted that the first body recovered on Tuesday was found at 10:15 a.m., and that 14 bodies had been recovered by 1:00 p.m. French and Guyanese divers continue underwater recovery operations at the site where the ferry rests on the seabed.