-Kaituma survivors of ferry tragedy complain about treatment
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed last evening urged residents of Port Kaituma to prepare for nationwide protests as he visited survivors of the MV Barima tragedy and relatives of those who perished, many of whom complained about the treatment they received in the aftermath of the disaster.
Mohamed’s visit, which was streamed live on the Team Mohamed Facebook page, began with residents taking him on a tour of the Port Kaituma wharf, where they said passengers are forced to embark and disembark under unsafe conditions.
Pointing to what he described as the unfinished $1.4 billion wharf project, Mohamed criticized the government, accusing it of being “uncaring.” The area shown in the live stream appeared littered with garbage, while residents said they were often forced to position pieces of wood to create a makeshift pathway between vessels and the shore.
“When a canter have to come down here, you punish with the canter to go and you goods deh on the boat to come up,” one resident told Mohamed while describing the difficulties faced when transporting cargo.
Residents also criticised the official response to the July 18 tragedy, contending that authorities did not act quickly enough to rescue survivors because they did not care about the community.
Responding to the complaints, Mohamed said those responsible should be held accountable.
“We have to hold them accountable and very soon I want persons to listen out when I call for protest…when I call for protest listen out, countrywide,” he told the gathering.
Much of the video centred on emotional accounts from relatives of those who died and survivors of the sinking.
One man, identified as Mr Bovell, said he lost six relatives – his father, two sisters, two nephews and a niece. His mother’s body was also on the vessel but has not been recovered.
He became emotional while describing the burial of his relatives, charging they were not afforded a dignified funeral.
“No proper way, no proper box nothing. They treat me family like dog,” he said before breaking down in tears.
Asked to elaborate, Bovell replied: “Like I can’t even explain how they put my family down, I can’t explain, real rough, rough….”
Bovell, who said he was also aboard the vessel when it sank, described the ordeal as “real rough.”
Another relative said survivors were rescued by the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard at about 5 am but received little assistance after reaching Charity.
He recounted walking barefoot before eventually being given “old, old slippers.”
“I feel so shame,” he said, adding that officials repeatedly apologised but provided little practical assistance.
“Only this afternoon they come and give we a lil plastic bag and I didn’t even look inside,” he added.
The young man also criticised the manner in which relatives were buried, saying they were placed in plywood boxes and “treated just like a dog.”
Survivors further told Mohamed they had not received counselling since the tragedy.
Relatives also showed Mohamed photographs on a cellular phone of the plywood boxes in which victims were buried. They said that one of the boxes contained the bodies of a mother and her two children and complained that the bodies were transported back to Port Kaituma by boat.
One resident urged Amerindian communities to become more vocal in demanding accountability from public officials.
“When the ministers visit, question them and not just stand up and listen to what they are saying,” he said.
Another woman, who said she lost three relatives including her 16-year-old son, became emotional as she recounted receiving his body.
“When I see my son in a box like that it was more pain,” she said.
She also said that the driver transporting family members from the centre drove recklessly and, after she objected, used expletives before ordering her, her son and daughter out of the vehicle.
The woman also said that relatives were given only two pairs of gloves to retrieve her son’s coffin, forcing some persons to use plastic bags because the box was leaking.
“They treat us really bad, it was really heart-rending to me… to know my son when he was alive he was always like get he skin clean, always get he clothes clean and the way he gone,” she said.
The video concluded with Mohamed’s participation in a candlelight vigil and walk in memory of those who lost their lives in the MV Barima tragedy.
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