By Adama Makasuba
Seventy-eight Gambian survivors of Wednesday’s migrant shipwreck will receive humanitarian aid from International Organization for Migration, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
A boat carrying at least 150 migrants most of them Gambians capsized last Wednesday near the coast of Mauritania after it ran out of fuel. At least 60 Gambians have been confirmed to have died.
In a statement on Friday, IOM said its team in Mauritania is focusing on helping migrants recover from shock, providing appropriate medical treatment and providing first aid kits, blankets and other supplies.
It added: “A member of IOM’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team in The Gambia departed for Mauritania on Friday (6/12) to support the local response.”
“A total of 85 survivors are accounted for, including 7 Senegalese, while the death toll has risen to 62.
“IOM is coordinating with Mauritanian authorities and Gambian consular services to provide assistance to survivors. Additionally, IOM is in touch with The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS), as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Mauritania, on linking families who believe their loved ones were aboard the boat.”
