President Irfaan Ali said families of those still missing following the MV Barima tragedy would be consulted if authorities are forced to fully salvage the capsized vessel.
Ali said Thursday evening that full salvage is the remaining option if attempts to reposition the wreck and allow divers to access its interior are unsuccessful. He warned that the process could disturb what remains inside the vessel.
“…the only option after that, [which] we’re trying to avoid as far as possible, that will have to be discussed with family members, is to try for a full salvage of the vessel,” Ali told relatives.
He said the families and authorities would have to jointly determine the best approach if the recovery operation reaches that stage.
“That is something that none of us want together, but I have to be open that this is where we are now,” Ali continued.
Efforts to reposition the wreck encountered difficulties earlier Thursday. Several divers also became ill and had to withdraw from the operation.
“Earlier today, the attempt to move the wreck had some challenges for us,” Ali said. “We have a number of divers who got sick. The number of divers had to come back in. Some of them are still out there.”
Technical teams continued attempting to move the vessel Thursday night. Ali said authorities expected an assessment of the progress made after approximately 90 minutes. Divers were scheduled to return at 5:30 a.m. on Friday if the vessel could not be moved sufficiently. They would make another attempt to enter the wreck and release as much as possible from inside.
“In the event that we don’t get the type of movement that we want with the boat, the divers were able to do enough work to go back tomorrow to try to go into the vessel and try to release as much as they can release,” Ali said.
The President said movement achieved during Thursday’s operation could also cause bodies or other material trapped near the wreck to rise to the surface.
“They are hopeful that if there are any of our loved ones or anything that is stuck, that it might be able to bring it to the surface during the course of the night,” Ali said.
The Coast Guard remained at the site and established a network to retrieve anything brought to the surface.
The government confirmed Thursday that 72 bodies had been recovered. Sixty-five had been positively identified by relatives.
The figures were based on two bodies recovered on July 23 and 70 recovered by the end of Wednesday. The government estimated that 179 people were aboard the ferry. Seventy-six people survived, leaving 31 unaccounted for.
Search-and-recovery operations covered approximately 2,100 square kilometres and extended to Waini Point. Nineteen vessels and three aircraft were involved in the operation.
