27/09/2022
Tragedy Worst Than The Titanic
Twenty years ago, a ship named the Joola capsized off the coast of the Gambia as it sailed from the south to the north of Senegal.
Nearly 1,900 lives were lost in the disaster, more than on the Titanic, but few outside Senegal know about this tragedy.
On September 26 2002, the Joola had only just returned to service after being out for engine repair for more than a year.
The boat had been manufactured in Germany and first delivered to the Senegalese government back in 1990.
The Joola regularly sailed from a southern port of Senegal, Ziguinchor, to the capital in the north, Dakar.
It was a popular choice as it allowed travellers to circumvent the border checks that came with journeying through the Gambia and poor quality roads.
On the day of the disaster the boat became overloaded at Ziguinchor, yet more passengers boarded at the next port.
Out of the nearly 2000 passengers, Mariama Diouf is the only woman to have survived what happened that day.
444 children died when the Joola capsized.
The tragedy impacted many families across Senegal including the national football team's now coach, Aliou Cissé.
He lost 11 members of his family on the Joola, including his sister.
BBC
