MV BARIMA DISTRESS: 15-Y-O Port Kaituma resident still missing
July 19 2026
Andriel Bautista, a 15-year-old resident of Waterfront, Port Kaituma, is among the persons who were onboard the distressed MV Barima, which sank off the coast of Essequibo between July 18 and 19, 2026, while on a voyage from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
His cousin, Quansye Layne, told BIG Smith News Watch that Bautista had travelled to Georgetown to attend to matters concerning his birth certificate at the General Register Office before making his way back home.
Layne said the family last saw Bautista on Friday afternoon and last heard from him on Sunday morning, before news of the vessel’s distress emerged. The family is now awaiting further information on his whereabouts.
