At least 31 people hauled from the Atlantic after the MV Barima ferry sank were not wearing life jackets. A Guyana Defence Force Coast Guardsman gave that testimony before the presidential Commission of Inquiry into the incident. Petty Officer Jerome told the hearing that the occupants rescued from the water had no lifejackets on. A lifejacket is often what decides whether someone stays afloat while waiting for rescue in open sea. The survivors were picked up from the water after the ferry went down. The commission has been gathering accounts from witnesses to establish exactly how the disaster unfolded. Testimony of this sort points to gaps in safety practice aboard the vessel before it sank.