The decomposed body of a female was recovered last Friday in the Iron Punt area where the MV Barima sank more than a month ago, according to a post by Team Mohamed’s last night.
Team Mohamed’s is the Facebook page linked to We Invest in Nationhood and its Leader Azruddin Mohamed.
Iron Punt was among the areas where search efforts were concentrated in the immediate aftermath of the July 18 tragedy. It was also an area where Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and private boat operators participated in searches and recovered bodies as government-led efforts continued.
Team Mohamed’s, in a post on its Facebook page, said the body was that of a female believed to be in her teens. The claim has not been publicly confirmed by the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Health or the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
The reported discovery comes against the backdrop of the Government’s decision to formally conclude the active search and recovery operation on August 4.
At that time, authorities said 73 bodies had been recovered, while 30 people remained unaccounted for. Five of the recovered bodies had also not yet been identified. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was to remain operational as efforts to identify victims continued.
The latest reported recovery, if confirmed as being connected to the MV Barima disaster, would therefore represent a significant development in a tragedy that has left dozens of families without definitive answers about their missing relatives.
The MV Barima sank on the night of July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Authorities have said 179 people were aboard the vessel, 76 were rescued and 73 bodies were recovered during the official search and recovery operation.
The Government had previously established protocols requiring bodies recovered during the search and recovery operation to be transferred immediately into the custody of the Guyana Police Force at the Charity River Dam facility for processing and identification.
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