Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn says that the vessel found in Nicaraguan waters last week with bodies is not the same as that which was seen floating offshore Guyana.
Speaking with Stabroek News last night, Benn said the vessel found differs in design and colour to the one that was spotted here and the only common feature was an orange rope.
“The boat we saw here from pictures was green and slightly different in design. The boat found there with the bodies is different,” he stated.
Earlier last week, the Associated Press (AP) reported that Nicaraguan authorities found the bodies of six people, apparently migrants, in a small boat drifting off its Caribbean coast.
The Interior Ministry said a Republic of Guinea passport belonging to a 31-year-old man was found on one of the bodies. The passport had no Nicaraguan entry stamp in it.
AP said that the boat was found drifting about a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) out to sea near Cayo Las Palomas.
The ministry said an initial examination indicated all those aboard apparently died of dehydration or heatstroke, and that they probably died about a month ago.
An unmarked boat, which contained a number of decomposed bodies was found floating about 120 km offshore Georgetown on the afternoon on February 15th.
Following the discovery, an inter-agency task force comprising members of the Guyana Defence Force coast guard and the Maritime Administration Department was established to conduct investigations. However, the boat disappeared.
