Sawt Falasteen - At least 53 dead in Guyana capsized ferry disaster

The MV Barima was traveling from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Guyana's inland Essequibo region when it flipped over on Saturday night.

A desperate search for survivors began early Sunday, with 76 people rescued so far, according to Phillips, after the government previously said 77 had been located alive.

The prime minister on Tuesday revised the death toll for the second time in one day, raising it from 41 to 53.

"A total of 53 bodies have been recovered," Phillips told a press conference.

"We've recorded 76 persons that were rescued as of 6 pm (2200GMT) today," he said.

There had earlier been confusion over how many were involved in the tragedy due to an inaccurate passenger manifest which listed 133 people aboard, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said.

But on Monday, Phillips said he was confident that 179 people had been on board when the accident occurred.

Two crew members aboard the aging ferry tested positive for marijuana after the incident, he told reporters Sunday, adding that an investigation was underway.

The ship began its journey in mid-afternoon and a distress call was received about eight hours later.

The ferry was built in 1939, according to the shipping website VesselFinder.

Boats typically travel by sea before reaching a river to arrive at Port Kaituma, which is located in the depths of a dense rainforest.

Guyana, a small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America, is locked in a territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

W.Mansour--SF-PST