Survivors of the deadly MV Barima tragedy have described spending hours in the Atlantic Ocean clinging to debris, watching rescue lights from a distance and grappling with the devastating loss of loved ones, as Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed visited Port Kaituma on Saturday.
Mohamed met with survivors and grieving families, many of whom used the opportunity to recount the events of the July 18 tragedy and voice concerns over what they described as inadequate counselling and financial assistance in its aftermath.
Among those who spoke was a 14-year-old survivor who said he boarded the vessel around 4:00 p.m. and was sleeping when disaster struck.
“I was rescued 5 o’clock in the morning,” the teenager said.
He explained that he lost six relatives in the tragedy.
“I lost my grandfather, two aunties and three cousins,” he said.
Another survivor, who said she lost six members of her family—including her mother, two sisters, nephews and a niece—recalled the agonising wait for rescue after the vessel capsized.
“I see the Coast Guard light about three o’clock, and we holler, we wave,” she said. “The waves were really big. You would see the light and then the ocean would cover you back.”
She said survivors were eventually rescued around daybreak.
Reflecting on the emotional toll, she said, “It is an experience I would never want to experience again.”
When asked how she has been coping since losing six relatives, the woman simply replied, “Real hurtful.”
Survivors also complained that they have received little psychosocial support since the tragedy.
One teenager said he had only been contacted twice.
“Two times they called me… that’s it,” he said, adding that no social worker had visited his home for counselling.
Another survivor said officials had only stopped by briefly.
“They just come in and talk and say they’re sorry,” he stated.
Perhaps the most emotional testimony came from a mother who had been travelling with her husband and two young children.
She recalled waking up submerged in the water after the vessel overturned.
“When I catch myself, I was in the water swallowing, drinking water. It was not easy,” she said.
“I just thought of my family. I thought of my children, my husband. I didn’t know where they were. It was me alone.”
She said she clung to a floating bin with several others while desperately waiting for help.
“It was like five of we hold on to a bin… trying to get help, but there was no help.”
The woman said she was overwhelmed with relief when she was finally reunited with her children.
“I was happy to see my children,” she said.
Although her husband and children survived, she said a nine-year-old relative perished in the tragedy.
“My husband’s little cousin… he passed away. He was nine years old.”
She also detailed the extent of the family’s losses.
“I lost many things… my children’s cash grants, money, my laptop my husband buy for my daughter, phone, tablet—everything gone.”
Still visibly shaken, she added, “It’s not easy.”
The woman also complained that after being discharged from hospital she received little assistance.
“I get $30,000,” she said, explaining that she had not questioned the payment because she was focused on her family’s recovery.
Questioned about counselling, she said, “Nobody come and help me… try to talk to me. It was like me alone.”
Throughout the meeting, Mohamed urged the Government to provide sustained psychological support, particularly for children and teenagers who survived the disaster.
“They need social workers up here full time,” he said, while also calling for additional assistance for survivors who lost personal belongings and multiple relatives.
The MV Barima capsized while travelling to Port Kaituma on July 18 with approximately 179 people aboard. Dozens of people died, while others remain unaccounted for as search and recovery efforts continue. A Commission of Inquiry has since been established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
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