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News > Venezuela

Venezuela Reports that Guiria Shipwreck Occurred Due to Overload

  • A woman mourns the loss of her loved one who died in the Guiria shipwreck.

    A woman mourns the loss of her loved one who died in the Guiria shipwreck. | Photo: Twitter / @madeleintlSUR

Published 26 December 2020
Opinion

The passengers on board lacked life jackets and the safety equipment.

The Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace of Venezuela released on Friday a report on the results of the investigations of the shipwreck of Guiria, in the Caribbean, and determined that the tragedy occurred due to overloading.

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In a statement, the Interior Ministry, headed by Carmen Meléndez, indicated that the boat with the name “Mi Recuerdo” which was wrecked on December 6 off the coast of Guiria, Sucre state, was overloaded, lacked security measures and departed from an illegal area.

"The main cause of the shipwreck was the overloading of the fiberglass peñero-type vessel, which, having a capacity for 8 people and a maximum weight of two tons, was carrying 41 people and a weight of approximately four tons," said the note from official press.

She added that the people on board lacked life jackets and the safety equipment necessary for navigation. Additionally, bad weather was a factor in the area when the accident happened.

The statement explained that the vessel sailed from an illegal location and covertly at night with the intention of evading maritime controls.

“The National Government, in order to guarantee the due protection of the Venezuelan people, has provided greater controls and security devices so that these events do not occur again. Likewise, comprehensive support for affected families,” the bulletin underlined.

In the boat that was wrecked, a group of people were going to Trinidad and Tobago to spend the Christmas holidays with their families and others were going to work in previously arranged positions.

On December 17, the Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, reported that the number of deaths in the shipwreck amounted to 28 people.

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