Boat accident: 35 feared dead
2007-10-18 07:21
Banjul - At least 35 Senegalese are missing and feared dead after their boat capsized late last week off Gambia's shores, new figures released by rescue officials shows.
Abdoulie Camara, a senior Gambian rescuer, said scores of Senegalese set sail from the western Gambian seaside village of Tanji towards the Senegalese town of Bassoul, after the boat sank overnight last Thursday due to bad weather conditions.
He said: "More than 50 people were on board, the pirogue was carrying 20 50kg bags of sugar and none of the passengers had life jackets on."
Camara confirmed earlier reports that 15 people had been saved by fishermen and coast guards while three bodies were fished out of the water.
The victims were all Senegalese, most of them fishermen accompanied by their wives and children, heading back to their home villages to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, according to local sources.