An ageing ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, with 67 saved and rescue teams searching for the rest, officials said on Sunday.
The ferry MV Barima left the small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America on Saturday afternoon with 133 people aboard for a trip from the capital, Georgetown, to the town of Port Kaituma.
Port Kaituma is inland in the oil-rich Essequibo region and the ferry travels along the coast in the Atlantic before heading upriver to reach its jungle destination.
Initial signs are that the ship flipped over after being hit by a big wave, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said on Facebook.
“Search and Rescue Advancing. 67 persons, inclusive of 15 children rescued so far,” he said.
Those rescued include 41 men, 11 women, six boys and nine girls, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said in a statement on Sunday.