Remembering the Le Joola Disaster: Africa’s Own Titant

On September 26, 2002, the Le Joola, a Senegalese ferry capsized about 35 km off the coast of The Gambia. It had carried 1,863 people, more than three times the legal passenger capacity.

It was a blow to Senegal, a catastrophe greater than The Titanic is still right here in Africa, it is seldom remembered. This is despite the fact that Titanic sank almost 105 years ago, while Le Joola sank just 15 years ago.

Le Joola facts

  • Le Joola is named after the Jola people of Senegal.
  • The ferry was built in Germany. It started sailing in 1990
  • The ferry was 79 m long and 12 m wide, had two engines and was equipped with the latest safety equipment available at the time of the disaster
  • It traveled twice a week and frequently carried traders – women who wanted to sell mangoes and palm oil in the Dakar market.
  • Shortly before the disaster, the ferry had been out of service for almost a year undergoing repairs including the replacement of the port engine
  • The ferry connected Ziguinchor – the capital of Casamance – to Dakar and so many of the victims of the disaster came from the Casamance region; All of Senegal was traumatized.

The Le Joola Disaster

As previously mentioned Le Joola was 35 km off the Gambian coast when she capsized but was approximately 11 hours from shore where it was only allowed to be a maximum of 6 hours from shore and had the permit no more than to carry 535 passengers.

At 10 p.m. on the fateful day, the final call was sent to the Maritime Security Center in Dakar. The call revealed that travel conditions were optimal. However, around 11 p.m., the ship was caught in a storm off the coast of Gambia. The rough seas and rough winds capsized the ferry, throwing passengers and cargo alike into the sea. According to reports, this major destruction was completed in less than five minutes.

The ship’s capsizing certainly resulted in the death of many of the passengers, but a large number are likely to have survived. However, many of the survivors didn’t stand a chance given the terrible reaction time. Government rescue workers did not arrive until the following morning. Thanks are due to local fishermen who rescued some of the survivors in the hours before the government rescue team arrived. In the end, only 64 survivors were recorded out of over 600 passengers. A 15-year-old boy who was rescued by the fishermen confirmed that many people were still trapped inside the ship and there were reports of noises and screams coming from inside.

Patrice Auvray, one of the 64 survivors, published a book about the tragedy called Souviens-toi du Joola in 2002. An excerpt reads;

“I should be called Number 35. I should be another anonymous victim, like all these people whose families don’t know where or how to grieve. I should be buried in the African jungle and forgotten.”

Le Joola Aftermath

After Le Joola went under, the families organized themselves into civic groups and tried to do justice to the deceased, but that would be impossible. Some government officials, including then Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye, were held accountable but never brought to justice. The families of the victims felt betrayed. A year after the disaster, the captain of the ship who died in the accident was held solely responsible.

Another point of pain and anger at the government is the fact that the wreck was never dug up and still remains at the bottom of the sea. Events are organized every year to commemorate the victims of the disaster, but these are never sponsored by the Senegalese government.

Even reparations, which are common in these types of disasters, have never been recorded and families continue to fight for such disasters. The families have also asked for an official memorial for the victims.

Le Joola is still considered the second-worst passenger ship loss of all time. The worst is the DONA PAZ in the Philippines in 1987 with over 4,000 losses and after Le Joola probably the TITANIC in 1912 (with 1,563 losses).

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