(Kaieteur News) – With 53 bodies recovered and at least 50 people still missing following the MV Barima maritime disaster, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has joined a growing chorus of voices calling for Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill to be removed from office.

Speaking to GoMoseley Radio Station on Tuesday morning from the site where the 87-year-old vessel capsized several miles offshore on the night of July 18, Mohamed said the scale of the tragedy demands ministerial accountability. The Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), which oversaw the vessel’s operations, falls under Edghill’s portfolio.

Although authorities have disputed claims from relatives and survivors that the vessel was overloaded en route to Port Kaituma, Region One, Mohamed pointed to those same allegations along with concerns about the vessel’s age and condition in laying blame at the minister’s feet.