MV Le Joola

MV Joola was a Senegalese government-owned ferry that capsized off the coast of Gambia on September 26, 2002. The disaster resulted in the deaths of at least 1,863 people, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in African history and one of the deadliest of all time.

The ship

The ship, named Joola after the Joola (Dyula) people of southern Senegal, was constructed in Germany, and was put to sea in 1990 to replace a previous express ferry. It was 79 meters long and 12 meters wide, had two motors and was equipped with some of the latest safety equipment available at the time of the disaster. Usually the ferry traveled twice a week and often included women who wanted to sell mangoes and palm oil on the market of Dakar. According to information released after the disaster, the ship was built to carry a maximum of 800 passengers, less than half the total number on board when the ship sank.

The disaster

On 26 September 2002 the ferry Joola set sail from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region on one of its frequent trips between southern Senegal and the country's capital Dakar. At the time of voyage the ship was designed to carry approximately 550 passengers. In all almost 2,000 passengers are believed to have been on board; the exact number remains unknown. Several hours into its voyage and at around 11 p.m. local time the ship sailed into a storm off the coast of Gambia. As a result of the rough seas and wind, the ferry quickly capsized throwing passengers and cargo into the sea. While many of the ship's passengers may have been killed during or immediately following the capsizing a large number probably survived initially only to drown while eventually waiting for rescue. According to survivors, official rescuers only arrived at the scene on the morning following the accident, although local fishermen did manage to rescue some survivors from the sea. Of the almost 2,000 passengers on board only around 64 survived.

Causes

The huge loss of life caused by the tragedy was a great shock to many in Senegal and immediately led to calls from the press and public for an explanation of the disaster. The Senegalese government established an inquiry to investigate. The French courts also launched a probe into the disaster as several French nationals were among the dead. According to many sources now available the accident was caused by a variety of factors, including possible negligence. While rough seas and wind were directly responsible for the capsizing, the ferry was built only to be sailed in coastal waters but was sailing beyond this coastal limit when it capsized. Overcrowding is one of the most commonly mentioned factors in the disaster, both for the capsizing and the high number of deaths. The ship was only 12 years old and was built to be in service for at least 30 years but had suffered a number of technical problems in the years before it capsized. These problems are now attributed to poor maintenance by its owners and not to any design or manufacturing flaws.

Deaths

Total Number of Deaths: At least 1,800, although the exact number will never be known due to large number of unticketed passengers on board

Nationalities: People of at least 15 different nationalities died in the disaster, the overwhelming majority from Senegal and a large number from neighboring Guinea. French, Dutch, and Swiss citizens also died in the disaster among others.

Aliou Cisse and Birmingham City Football Club

Senegalese footballer Aliou Cisse lost several members of his family in this tragedy, and his then club Birmingham City, in England, displayed coloured cards, which showed the Senegalese flag, to remember their midfielder's family, and all the other people that unfortunately lost their lives.

See also

• List of ship launches in 1990
• List of shipwrecks in 2002

References

• BBC - "What caused the Joola ferry disaster?"

External links

• International Red Cross article on the disaster
• French language website on the disaster