By Abdoulie John
Gambian police has confirmed the death of at least three persons after a boat capsized off Gunjur coast. The tragic incident has also left five others hospitalised.
“We can confirm the incident of a boat that capsized at sea in Gunjur, West Cost Region, on Sunday 13th October 2019,” Police Spokesman ASP Lamin Njie told this medium, in response to an information request sent to him.
The sad turn of events, according to police news dispatch, happened on Sunday at around 09:00hrs when the Muslim brotherhood “Dairatul Nailu Huda” was shooting a video at sea. The Banyaka village Muslim organisation ‘hired two boats along the beach of Gunjur’ to carry their members. “After a distance into the sea one of the boats unfortunately capsized resulting to the death of three individuals,” ASP Njie said. At the time the capsized boat was carrying eight people.
ASP Lamin Njie added that the captain of the boat, Bakary Kah, is among the survivors of the tragic incident. He is helping the police in their investigations.
In his reaction to the sad news, environmental activist Mustapha Manneh, blamed boat owners are not respecting safety measures. Manneh, who does consultancy work for Green Gambia, expressed shock about the shipwreck that has plunged the entire community into deep sadness.
“What I can tell you is that boat owners don’t provide life jackets for their clients. The government should take urgent action to ensure that safety jackets are available and used,” he added.
The Gunjur Youth Movement leader Sulayman Bojang also called on boat owners to put the safety of commuters at the centre stage of their activities.
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