GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says survivors and relatives of victims of the MV Barima tragedy are united in their call for the sunken ferry to be salvaged, insisting that recovering the vessel is critical to providing closure for grieving families.

Mohamed said he has met with survivors and relatives of those who perished in the disaster and has also offered assistance to support efforts to raise the vessel, which sank off Guyana’s coast. More than 30 people remain missing.

His comments come as the Government considers whether to salvage the vessel, saying it has received several local and international offers of assistance but will be guided by the wishes of the victims’ families.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday during an Amerindian Peoples Association protest outside the Office of the President, Mohamed said there should be no hesitation in recovering the vessel.

“The families want the vessel to float and the families told me even if it is the bones themselves, they want the bones because it will bring some closure to them,” Mohamed said.

He accused the Government of resisting efforts to salvage the ferry because of what might be discovered once it is raised.

“But the prime minister and the Government don’t want this vessel to float because they know there are a lot of bodies under there, and they know that when they salvage the vessel there are a lot of mechanical problems—the anchor is not working, the electronic systems and only one engine was working. So that is their concern, how they will look,” he alleged.

Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips acknowledged earlier this week that additional bodies could still be trapped inside the vessel. However, he said the Government would continue to place the families of the victims at the centre of the decision-making process and would rely on their input in determining whether the vessel should be salvaged.

Phillips also maintained that the recently announced Commission of Inquiry into the disaster will proceed regardless of whether the vessel is eventually recovered.

Mohamed, however, questioned whether the Commission of Inquiry would be capable of delivering justice for the victims and their families.

“If Edghill and Indar are still within the system, they will influence everything that the commission will request and so we will not get any justice from this commission,” he said.