By Lamin Njie
Fifty-two Gambians died while 80 survived after the rickety boat that they were travelling in from Barra to Spain ran into trouble and capsized off the coast of Mauritania, it has been revealed.
Europe bound migrants numbering 150 last week Wednesday set off for Spain but their boat ran out of fuel and capsized as it approached the coast of Mauritania, a top IOM Gambia offical told The Fatu Network on Thursday.
State House issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying President Adama Barrow had been briefed that “the boat originated from Barra, North Bank Region, and fifty-two (52) Gambians lost their lives whiles eighty (80) others survived.”
“The Gambia government is working with the United Nations International Organization for Migration and will dispatch a delegation to Mauritania at the earliest possible time to investigate and gather more information on the accident.
“President Barrow expresses heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prays for the departed souls to Rest In Peace,” the statement said.
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa but thousands of Gambian youths leave the country each year, making it one of the most migrant producing countries in Africa. Most Gambian youths believe they cannot enjoy better lives in the country and as a result, they end up embarking on dangerous land and sea journeys to European countries like Spain, Italy and Malta.
The ‘back way’ journey to Spain was discovered in the mid-2000s when thousands of Gambian youths spend weeks in the sea just to reach Europe, a journey that is as deadly as the Libya one.
