Dozens missing after passenger ferry sinks off coast of Guyana

People sit on the seawall as the sun sets in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

• The ferry, which also had 17 crew members, ⁠capsized off the North Atlantic ‌coast ‌on the way ​to the ‌village of Port Kaituma

GEORGETOWN: ‌A ferry carrying 116 passengers sank off the coast of ​Guyana in South America late Saturday with 67 people, including 15 children, rescued so far, according to Guyana authorities.
An air traffic control tower received ‌a distress ‌call at 11:01 ​p.m. ‌Saturday ⁠night ​from the ⁠MV Barima, according to local outlets, triggering a search and rescue operation. The ferry, which also had 17 crew members, ⁠capsized off the North Atlantic ‌coast ‌on the way ​to the ‌village of Port Kaituma. It ‌was unclear where the ferry departed from.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said at a ‌press conference Sunday morning that the operation will continue ⁠until ⁠all efforts have been exhausted.
Guyana’s Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, said in a statement that emergency family assistance centers have been established to provide families with information and support.