The Home Affairs Ministry has warned that individuals who knowingly create, share or republish false or misleading content related to the MV Barima tragedy could face legal consequences as investigations into the sinking continue. The warning comes as Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, during an interview on Tuesday, also appealed to the public to refrain from sharing inaccurate information on social media. Referring to a photograph being circulated online that allegedly shows the vessel sinking, the PM said the image was not authentic.

“I want to appeal to the people of Guyana to be very responsible at this stage. There is no official footage of this vessel floating and, you know, being capsized and floating. This incident took place during the hours of darkness. So, to show an image of the vessel on its side floating on the water, that is some AI (artificial intelligence)-generated image; that is meant to create mischief,” Phillips said.

The Home Affairs Ministry, in a statement, extended condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by the tragedy and assured the public that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. It urged anyone with firsthand information, photographs, videos or any other evidence that may assist investigators to submit the material directly to the GPF, noting that public cooperation is vital to ensuring that all relevant facts are established. However, the Ministry expressed concern over the circulation on social media of old, fabricated and unrelated videos and photographs that are being falsely linked to the tragedy.