GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jul. 23, CMC – The Guyana government says it will continue to cover funeral and burial expenses and provide immediate assistance to families affected by the M.V. Barima tragedy, with any decision on compensation to be made only after an independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) completes its work.
Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips said the government’s immediate priority is supporting grieving families and completing the rescue and recovery operation.
“The focus now is not on compensation. The focus is on recovering bodies, financing the burial and funeral rites, and providing whatever assistance the families need now,” Phillips told a news conference on Wednesday.
He stressed that the assistance currently being provided should not be viewed as compensation.
“That is not deemed compensation. That is the government’s responsibility in times like this to assist families,” he said.
Phillips also announced that the government will establish an independent Commission of Inquiry as soon as the rescue and recovery operation has concluded.
“As we close off the rescue and recovery operation, it is the intention of the government to have a commission of inquiry mounted as early as possible,” he said.
He said the commission’s findings and recommendations will determine whether compensation is warranted and, if so, how it should be addressed.
“After the commission of inquiry, then the issues of compensation will be determined because it will be guided by the commission of inquiry, the report, and the recommendations,” the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, the government has deployed 19 vessels and three aircraft as search and recovery operations continue following the sinking of the MV Barima, with efforts now focused on locating the remaining missing passengers and recovering the capsised vessel.
Providing an update on Wednesday, Phillips said the Guyana Defence Force, Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department has mobilised smaller vessels to conduct searches along inland waterways while technical teams continued detailed assessments of the wreck.
CMC/gy/kb/2026