Appearing on the New Day morning show on Gomoseley Radio this morning, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said the Government is obligated to conduct a full Commission of Inquiry into the deadly MV Barima ferry tragedy.

Prime Minister Phillips, who is heading the Government’s response efforts, said with a number of discrepancies already highlighted, a comprehensive inquiry will take place.

“There are a number of discrepancies, but let us await the comprehensive investigation that will be done as we establish a Commission of Inquiry and that will lead us to determine the extend of deviations from established regulations, standard operating procedures, and of course the necessary recommendations, where we will apportion blameworthiness, who will be disciplined and what necessary corrective actions will be taken to improve the service and safety of the passengers on our ferries”, Prime Minister Phillips said.

He said the incident and the report from the investigation will lead the Government in a direction where it can improve the services and tighten regulations to ensure there is no deviation from the rules governing the system.

During the rescue operation following last Saturday’s tragedy, it was realised that many of the rescued passengers were not listed on the ferry’s manifest. Many of those who lost their lives were not listed on the manifest.

“The focus right now, as I mentioned over and over, is search and rescue and search and recovery and bringing closure to the families and of course the next step is having that Commission of Inquiry is set up as soon early as possible”, he said.

The Prime Minister said no timeline has been set as yet for the Commission of Inquiry, but as soon as the search and recovery phase is over, the Government will be moving to establish the Commission.

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