MV Barima ferry disaster: captain and two crew charged with murder in Guyana

Guyana police have filed murder charges against the captain and two crew members of the MV Barima, a state ferry that capsized killing over 70 people.

Murder charges filed over MV Barima capsizing that killed more than 70

Guyana police filed murder charges on Tuesday against the captain and two crew members of the MV Barima, the state-owned ferry that capsized in the Atlantic Ocean on 18 July, killing more than 70 people and leaving 30 passengers still unaccounted for, abcnews.com reports.

The three accused — Captain Kevin Price, 40, chief mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, and cargo superintendent Delon Granderson, 33 — appeared before a court on Tuesday morning but were not required to enter pleas. No legal representation was present for any of them.

Authorities believe 179 people were aboard when the vessel departed the capital, Georgetown, and capsized before reaching its destination: the northern town of Port Kaituma, near the Venezuelan border. Prime Minister Mark Phillips told Parliament on Monday evening that 77 people had been rescued, though one of those passengers has since died.

During Phillips' address, opposition lawmakers heckled members of the government and pounded their desks, calling for the resignation of Works Minister Juan Edghill and Junior Minister Indar Persaud, whom they hold responsible for the disaster. The capsizing has been described as the worst maritime disaster on record in the South American nation.

On Sunday, the Guyanese government announced the formation of a five-person commission of international legal and marine experts to investigate the sinking. The 87-year-old vessel was still in active service because construction of a new pier at Port Kaituma — needed to accommodate a $12.7 million replacement vessel recently acquired from India — had not yet been completed.

Some survivors told reporters the ferry was leaking and overcrowded with both passengers and cargo at the time of departure. The commission has been tasked with examining those allegations.

Phillips said it is likely the wreck, now resting approximately 15 metres underwater, will not be salvaged. A second court hearing has been scheduled for 3 August at a court in the western Essequibo region, near the site where the vessel went down.

Source: Google News GY — Crime