By Sarjo Brito
A fatal car crash along the Trans Gambia highway has claimed the lives of two Gambian journalists in the early hours of Monday. The two journalists passed on after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed at a village called Jiffin in the country’s Lower River Region. Pa Modou Faal, a veteran journalist with over fifteen years’ experience and Musa Ndow, a one-time Senior Editor at the defunct Daily Observer, all succumbed to the fatal crash.
The duo until the time of their demise were working under the Ministry of Health as press and communication officials. They were said to be attending a four-day workshop on health education before meeting their untimely demise. Tributes have since started pouring in following news of their demise. A former colleague of the duo Hatab Fadera expressed sorrow over the demise of his former colleagues at the Daily Observer.
‘’Our hearts are heavy! Our family, the defunct Daily Observer former staffers, are devastated! We are lost for words to express the deep pain and sorrow over the untimely passing of former colleagues Musa Ndow and Pa Modou Faal. I had worked with each of the departed. Musa Ndow was a very hardworking individual who took responsibility at a very young age. Musa and I spoke very recently, and he was very excited to tell me about his university program. Pa Modou’s tenacity and perseverance in the face of many challenges was admirable. His sense of humility and respect for everyone was outstanding, something that characterized his decades-long work as a journalist’’
The trans Gambia highway has recently become a hotspot for fatal road accidents, reigniting the debate amongst Gambians on issues surrounding road safety. According to a WHO report publish in 2018, road traffic accidents reached 657, accounting for 4.72% of total deaths in the country.
