SENEGAL: More than 700 people were missing, feared drowned yesterday after an overcrowded ocean ferry bound for the Senegalese capital, Dakar, capsized in a storm.
About 30 passengers and crew were rescued after the state-owned ferry, the Joola, overturned and sank off the coast of Gambia, a former British colony, which is surrounded by the northern and southern portions of Senegal.
Forty-one bodies were recovered, leaving more than 720 missing from the 797 on board. According to local reports, the ship was only authorised to carry 550 passengers.
The disaster happened just before midnight on Thursday and rescue efforts continued throughout yesterday. A passing Italian ship rescued most of the survivors from the sea.
Senegal declared three days of national mourning yesterday as the search for victims continued. The Prime Minister, Ms Mame Madior Boye, and other senior officials went to Dakar's port to be with the families of passengers and crew who were waiting for news. The first bodies retrieved following the disaster were taken there yesterday afternoon.
"The boat capsized, rolling over on to its side under the impact of strong gusts of wind and rain," Ms Boye told a news conference at the port.
"For the moment there are 32 survivors and 41 confirmed dead, but the rescue mission continues." She added that "for the moment, the state of the ship has not been called into question", referring to the seaworthiness of the ferry. There have been unconfirmed reports in Dakar that the ship floundered as a result of engine problems.
The Joola set sail from the port of Ziguinchor in Senegal's southern region of Casamance, bound for Dakar.
The vessel went back into service after repairs on September 10th amid much publicity. The sinking came during gales that swept Dakar overnight.
Several family members who had gathered at the port said transport officials had put the Joola back into service prematurely, after taking it off the line for more than a year for repairs.
"The authorities think only of money. They could have thrown luggage overboard and saved people," somebody in the crowd said.
"I'm really worried, my family was on board," said a young official who works in the ministry of transport.
Ferries are the main means of transport between north and south Senegal as travel by road across Gambia is slowed by border checks, and can be risky due to attacks by rebel groups in Casamance. - (Guardian Service, AFP)