“I Know My Father Would Have Been Proud” - UG Graduand Honours Father Lost in MV Barima Tragedy

(Kaieteur News) – When Nasiya Siara Somra walks across the University of Guyana’s (UG) graduation stage this November, she will be celebrating the completion of a four-year academic journey. But among the people she wishes could witness the moment is her father, Raymond Somra.

Raymond, who worked as a seaman, was aboard the MV Barima when the vessel capsized on July 18, 2026, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini). His death came at a particularly difficult time for Nasiya, who was then a final-year student at UG’s Berbice Campus, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI), with just one assignment and one examination remaining before completing her degree.

Full coverageUniversity of Guyana Graduates Overcome Hardship to Earn Class of 2026 Degrees9 reports

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When news of the capsizing reached her, Nasiya struggled to accept that her father could have been aboard the vessel. Her grandmother was the first to tell her what had happened, but she initially refused to believe it. “I was in denial. I could not believe what had happened,” she recalled.