Guyana ferry capsizes, leaving at least 27 dead and 83 missing

At least 27 people died after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said Monday, as the small South American nation mourned the tragedy.

Sixty-nine people aboard the MV Barima have been rescued since the vessel flipped over on Saturday night, Phillips told reporters, adding that 83 more remained missing.

"Our focus again is on finding people," he said, having raised the death toll from a previous 10. "We still have hope."

The aging ferry was traveling from the capital Georgetown to Guyana's inland Essequibo region when it overturned.

Phillips said he was now "confident" that 179 people were aboard, following uncertainty about the numbers involved in the disaster.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill earlier stated that the ship's passenger manifest listing 133 people on board was inaccurate.

Authorities earlier Monday expanded the size of the area being searched from 400 to 1,070 square kilometers (154 to 413 square miles), while local fishermen joined recovery efforts.

The French army also sent 12 divers, two doctors and a mechanic from nearby French Guiana to aid the search-and-rescue operation, the presidency said.

Two crewmembers aboard the aging ferry tested positive for marijuana after the incident, Phillips had told reporters Sunday, adding that an investigation was underway.

The ship began its journey in mid-afternoon and a distress call was received about eight hours later, Edghill earlier said.

The ferry was built in 1939, according to the shipping website VesselFinder.

Boats typically travel by sea before reaching a river to arrive at Port Kaituma, which is located in the depths of a dense rainforest.

Guyana, a small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America, is locked in a territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)