At least 27 people have died after a ferry sank off the coast of Guyana, while 83 others remained missing, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said on Monday, as search and rescue operations continued.
Phillips said 69 people had been rescued from the vessel, which was carrying about 180 people.
The ageing ferry MV Barima sank in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday night while travelling from the capital, Georgetown, to the remote community of Port Kaituma in Guyana's oil-rich Essequibo region near the border with Venezuela.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately known. Authorities said the captain, who survived the accident, tested positive for cannabis.
"I assure the nation that there will be a full, thorough and independent investigation into this tragedy," President Irfaan Ali said in a televised address.
Local media reported the ferry issued a distress call about eight hours into its scheduled 24-hour journey. A survivor told News Source he heard a loud noise before seeing water rush into the vessel, which then listed and began to sink.
The government said search teams later located the ferry on the seabed about 15 kilometres off the coast.
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