(Kaieteur News) – The death toll from the devastating capsizing of the MV Barima ferry has climbed to 65, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday,22nd July, 2026, as international search teams joined an intensifying multi-national recovery effort.

Five additional bodies were recovered earlier Wednesday, three of them in the hours immediately preceding the briefing. Of the 65 victims recovered since search operations began, 44 have been positively identified by relatives, and 23 have already been released to their families for burial rites, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and regional authorities. The number of rescued passengers and crew remains unchanged at 76.

Search, rescue, and recovery operations have intensified with the arrival of maritime assets and personnel from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Brazilian Navy. Nineteen vessels and three aircraft are now actively engaged at the crash site, supported by specialised diving teams. Meanwhile, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) have deployed smaller vessels further inland to search shoreline areas and vegetation. Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, along with local fishermen and private boat owners, is also assisting.