Following the fatal shipwreck that occurred weeks earlier, the West African nation of the Gambia is in grief after a pirogue sank off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea on Monday, leaving at least 3 people dead and 11 survivors.
According to Refugees In Libya, the migrant boat left Zuwara, Libya, on Monday night and was traveling towards Italy.
The boat started to lose oxygen at around 10:00 AM and eventually sank. There were fourteen Gambian people on board, the organization claims, and many of them were wearing life jackets. In addition to the three Gambians who have been formally declared deceased, four more people—one Senegalese, one Nigerian, and two people of unknown nationality—remain unaccounted for.
Kendeh Sillah, the compass man of the boat, Bala Jarju, and Abdoulie, whose last name is unknown, are among the Gambians who perished.
According to the humanitarian organization, the survivors were in the water for about five hours after the boat sank before a fishing boat from Tunisia came to their aid.
The Libyan military was subsequently given control of them, and after taking them into the city, they were let free. Gambian, Senegalese, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese are among the nationalities represented on the boat, according to the statement.
The Canary Islands government asked for assistance from Spain and the European Union to handle the unfortunate situation shortly after a Mauritanian boat capsized off the island of El Hierro a few days prior.
“A serious humanitarian situation confronts us. Not only do we need assistance, but so do the Canarians and those who are seeking a better life. Reports at a press conference cited President Fernando Clavijo as saying, “We can no longer bear this pressure.”
They emphasized in the publication La Provincia, “We knew this was going to happen and we had warned, but things are going to go badly.”
Recall that the pirogue carrying 84 people sank on Saturday, September 28, having departed Nouadhibou, Mauritania, six days prior. Nine bodies have been found and 27 survivors have been located overall; about fifty people are still unaccounted for. Under the direction of the Spanish Navy and the Civil Guard, search efforts have been ongoing since this morning.