Guyana ferry with 116 people on board capsizes, 53 rescued

In Guyana, a ferry carrying 116 passengers and crew capsized near the Pomeroon River. Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips told the news agency that 53 people had been rescued. He also said the MV Barima was sailing from the capital, Georgetown, along the North Atlantic coast to Port Kaituma. Details of the search-and-rescue operation are awaited. Guyanese officials said they expect more passengers to be rescued.The ferry was traveling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, government minister Juan Edghill said."There is an active search and rescue operation that is taking place, and we pray for the safety of all," he said.
Port Kaituma is inland in the Essequibo region, and the ferry travels by sea before heading upriver to reach its destination. Essequibo, measuring 160,000 square kilometers (61,800 square miles), is an area rich in oil and at the heart of a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.