Just days after burying his wife and their three young children, Safraz Nathaniel Matabheek is left trying to rebuild a life shattered by the sinking of the MV Barima.
On July 24, 2026, he stood at the graveside of Rachel Wells Matabheek and their children Nathan, Natahlia, and Ezekiel the family he lost in Guyana’s deadliest maritime tragedy.
Now, nearly a week after the disaster, the grieving father is calling for accountability, insisting that no one knows the pain he has to endure following the loss of his entire immediate family.
“Something has to be done about it.”
Speaking with Kiskadee Watch, Matabheek recalled that the family had boarded the vessel in Georgetown bound for the North West District to visit his wife’s relatives.
“We were happy,” he said quietly, explaining that the journey had started like any other trip before it suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Also travelling with them were his brother and sister-in-law.
Although still overwhelmed by grief during the interview, Matabheek recounted surviving the sinking while helplessly watching the tragedy unfold around him as “water started coming in fast”.
He recalled “my eyes were burning so I tell my brother let we lay down to take a rest. When I shut my eyes about half an hour past like so I get up man cause my eye nah shut, like I deh watch out see we were low down to shore”. He said this raised the alarm for him. He questioned “why the boat deh down so low” he then proceeded to lay back down. He later told his brother he felt something.
“I tell my brother I said this boat ah lean”. He recalled that they hit rough waters and “the boat like it tried to climb a wave and the boat raised just so and just duck so quick”. When asked if the boat was overloaded he replied “load load load”, adding “that boat was leaking all the time and nobody nah really tek check pon it”.
Asked what he hopes will come from the ongoing investigation, Matabheek said he wants a full and transparent probe, with those responsible held accountable so that no other family experiences such a tragedy.
He said he has been receiving support from relatives and members of the public. He also confirmed that counselling has been offered to help him cope with the trauma.
When asked whether there had been any discussions about compensation for survivors, Matabheek said none had taken place. He noted that while he is aware the Government has committed to covering funeral expenses for the victims, he has not been approached regarding any other form of assistance.
The sinking of the MV Barima has left families across Guyana grieving and intensified calls for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disaster, including the vessel’s safety, passenger capacity, and the events leading up to the tragedy.
For Matabheek, the pain is beyond measure. In a single night, he lost his wife, Rachel Wells Matabheek, and their three children Nathan, Natahlia, and Ezekiel, a loss that no investigation or compensation can ever erase.
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