Complete horror: Ferry capsizes, death toll rising; Authorities issue statement PHOTO

Authorities have indicated that an inaccurate passenger list and possible drug use among crew members may have contributed to the disaster, Reuters reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, when authorities in the Latin American country announced that 67 people had been rescued, including 15 children, no additional survivors had been found.

"The captain and other crew members are now in police custody. The search and rescue operation is still ongoing. Therefore, to the families waiting for news about their loved ones, we want to say that we are doing everything in our power to find them," Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said at a press conference on Sunday evening.

The vessel MV Barima, carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members, capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Guyana, around seven nautical miles (approximately 13 kilometers) from shore, while traveling from the capital Georgetown to the village of Port Kaituma, authorities said.

The port authority received a distress call from the ferry at around 11 p.m. on Saturday, after which a search and rescue operation was launched.

Minister Juan Edghill said the initial efforts were hampered by darkness and a lack of vessels equipped with scanners capable of searching for survivors, forcing rescuers to rely only on sight and sound.

"Meanwhile, local oil companies have deployed vessels equipped with scanners, and the government has brought in divers to enter the ferry wreck and search for the bodies of those who died," Edghill said, confirming that authorities had also expanded the search area from 400 square kilometers to 1,040 square kilometers.