About eight young men have perished in the high seas between the Gambian and Moroccan waters as they ventured on the perilous journey across the Atlantic to Spain.
Augustine Gomez, a teacher at Gunjur Upper Basic School from Gunjur Taneneh and his cousin Nicola Gomez from Talinding are among those who have died as the captain of the boat was said to have lost his bearing and could not direct the boat to the intended destination. The boat was carrying about 125 people, 80 of whom are from Gambia and 25 from Gunjur.
Having spent 11 nights at sea with barely any food and drinks, the migrants were exhausted while the boat virtually sank, but for divine intervention, only 8 people lost their lives and the rest found themselves in a desert in Morocco and arrested by the border patrol team. According to our findings, the boat left Gunjur beach stopping at Salul, Casamance where more people boarded the boat before the group headed to sea en-route to what they believed to be mainland Spain.
When the young men were found in the desert by the Moroccan border patrol team, they were arrested and interrogated and placed in a detention center where they were allowed to call their families. The Moroccan authorities also informed Gambian mission in Morocco who promised to send a representative at the detention camp which is about 9 hours drive away. According to our source, the Gambian authorities are yet to arrive and the young men are desperately in need of help to return home as they have no clothes or proper food. The migrants arrived in the Moroccan desert about two weeks ago.
As we publish this report, this medium understands that another boat has left the shores of Gunjur beach about 8 days ago carrying migrants looking to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Their whereabouts is unknown at this material moment in time.