The Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy yesterday announced that oral hearings would pause while the secretariat visits survivors in their communities to gather statements, with proceedings expected to resume on November 10.
The Chairman, Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith stressed that the pause would not halt the commission’s work, noting that 32 witnesses had testified and substantial documentation had been collected for review.
Formal hearings began on October 14th and a number of witnesses have testified about what transpired on the night of July 18 when the ferry sank and claimed around 100 lives. Testimony focused on how the alert about the sinking was addressed by the various bodies assigned to emergency responses. Issues like the state of the beacon aboard the vessel have also been focused on.
Prior to the hearings, the commissioners met with the families of victims of the tragedy in Georgetown, Mabaruma and Port Kaituma.
The hearings have been held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
The Commission has said that the inquiry may take as many as six months to complete. A major outstanding issue which has caused angst among families is the salvaging of the MV Barima. This is yet to start and families have expressed concern that the Commission will not be able to do a thorough job without having examined the evidence that the vessel might contain.
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