00:00In an interview with Starting Point in Georgetown, Guyana's Prime Minister Mark Phillips confirmed help from Trinidad and Tobago is
00:07on the way to the site of the tragic sinking of the MV Barima.
00:12In terms of assistance, we have assistance being offered, additional assistance being offered from the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:19So we expect tomorrow morning a boat to arrive with additional divers.
00:23The defense minister said that the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel, the TT Speyside, was deployed at 6 p
00:30.m. on Monday with a crew of 20 persons plus an additional seven divers, while the Trinidad and Tobago Air
00:37Guard has already deployed a C-26 aircraft with a crew of Fort Assistant Aerial Searches.
00:43Prime Minister Phillips said a vessel is to arrive from Brazil as he spoke about the MV Barima.
00:49The vessel is sitting on the seabed, just over nine miles offshore of the Devosho Castle Flats area, right, in
00:58about 50 feet of water.
01:00The vessel is on the seabed area. We have divers, and we have divers from Guyana, divers from French Guyana,
01:09who, as I speak, are conducting their diving operations to search the vessel and to rescue or recover.
01:20Well, passengers remain on the vessel.
01:23Guyana's prime minister expressed hope they are still survivors three days after the MV Barima sank on Saturday.
01:31We were advised that the vessel, I guess, will have pockets of air, so they have to go through the
01:37vessel and search every compartment of the vessel to see if there's anybody who's still clinging to life there.
01:44And, yes, we expect that they will recover some bodies that are trapped, and this whole process will help in
01:52recovering more bodies from this tragic incident.
01:57Prime Minister Phillips gave updated information regarding the number of passengers who had been on board.
02:03As I speak, we have ascertained that the vessel had 179 persons on board, 179 passengers on board the vessel.
02:18We, through the collective efforts of the government, the private sector, the fisherfolk, and everybody who quickly responded to the
02:28distress signal, we've been able to rescue seven to seven persons as of now.
02:37Details were provided about the recovery part of the response to the tragedy.
02:42Unfortunately, we have people who are missing, some 63 persons already missing, and we have recovered four to one bodies
02:56as of now.
02:58We are processing those bodies in terms of identification.
03:02We are able to positively identify 23 of those bodies with the help of families.
03:10In a statement, Guyana's President, Dr. Mohamed Irfan Ali, proclaimed that Wednesday, July 22nd, Thursday, July 23rd, and Friday, July
03:1924th will be observed as three days of national mourning throughout Guyana for the victims of the MV Barima tragedy.
03:28Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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