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afrol News, 27 September - The Joola ferry may have carried up to 800 passengers when it capsized off the coast of The Gambia. Only few survivors have yet been found. The ferry, trafficking between Dakar and Ziguinchor, had just been repaired. This night, the Joola ferry, carrying between 700 and 800 passengers, sank during a violent storm, it has been confirmed from Senegalese government sources. The Joola shuttled between the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor, capital of the southern region of Casamance. Senegal's Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye this morning announced that the government had launched a rescue operation, according to local radio broadcasts. The PanAfrican News Agency (PANA) reported later in the day that 32 survivors and 41 bodies had been found so far. First explanations to the ferry disaster were directed towards the heavy winds off The Gambia when the accident happened. The Joola has however frequently cruised these waters in bad weather conditions. The popular ferry had however been out of service for over one year due to serious engine problems. It was repaired in Senegal, with significant and repeated delays and the Joola only was put back into service two weeks ago. Reports of possible dysfunctions of the engines after this have not been reported. The Joola further resumed services at a moment when the road traffic between the northern main bulk of Senegal and the isolated Casamance province - separated by the Gambian wedge - also were resumed. Professional drivers had refused to pass by the Transgambian highway protesting Gambian regulations. Cheap transport to Ziguinchor had therefore been cut for one year and traffic needs had accumulated. It is therefore possible that the Joola went heavier loaded than it usually did. The ferry has also been very popular with traders travelling between Dakar and the Casamance, carrying with them great bulks of goods at a cheap transport rate.
Sources: Based on Senegalese govt and press and afrol archives
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