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A passenger ferry carrying 116 people began sinking off the coast of Guyana, triggering a major search and rescue operation.
At least 53 people have been rescued after the MV Barima sent a distress call late on Saturday during a voyage from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Guyana’s coast guard received a distress call at around 11 pm and responded alongside private vessels.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips told AFP that the search and rescue operation would continue in the daylight and that he expected the number of rescued people to go up. He shared an update and photos of the rescue operation on Facebook.
Juan Edghill, a government minister, said in a video posted on Facebook that medical teams had been sent to the area to care for survivors brought ashore by the coast guard and other rescue vessels.
Edghill said the ferry was equipped with 250 life jackets, two rigid life rafts and six inflatable life rafts.
The MV Barima was built in 1939 and is around 40 metres long, according to the maritime tracking website VesselFinder.
The ferry regularly operates between Georgetown and Port Kaituma, transporting passengers and cargo to communities in Guyana’s North West District.