Le Joola

Given that the Titanic is the one that everyone has heard of, it has become rather typical for any maritime disaster in the modern era to be compared to it. Therefore, it is not surprising that Africa has its own Le Joola, which is comparable to the Titanic.

The Senegalese ferry MV Le Joola capsized on September 26, 2002, off the coast of the Gambia, taking over 1,850 people with it and leaving only 64 survivors. The ship was significantly overloaded when it sank, carrying nearly four times as many passengers as it could hold, as was frequently the case with such tragedies. As the ferry was traveling out in rough sea conditions when it had been designed primarily for coastal waters, negligence may have been another element that contributed to the accident.

Following the catastrophe, the Senegalese government came under fire for avoiding legal action and rejecting international assistance to remove the debris in an effort to put the incident behind it as soon as possible.

Date: 26 September 2002

Time: ~11pm

Location: off the coast of Gambia

Survivors: 64 passengers including only one woman