AFRICA/SENEGAL - "Twelve years after the tragedy of the ferry Joola, ships are still overloaded and continue to travel" denounces the Church

Dakar (Agenzia Fides) - The sinking of the ferry Joola, on September 26, 2002, "highlights even today our sins of negligence, lack of sense of responsibility, of fatalism", said Mgr. Alphonse Seck, Vicar General of Dakar during the Mass for the repose of the victims. The ferry, which was overcrowded, overturned en route from Ziguinchor in Casamance, to the Senegalese capital, Dakar. It is considered the second largest naval disaster in peacetime.
Mgr. Seck stressed that "the victims were officially 1,863" suggesting that the proportions of the tragedy were perhaps even bigger. "The tragedy of the Joola", remarked the Vicar General is derived "from the greed in the pursuit of one’s own interests to the detriment of general interest and indiscipline".
Unfortunately, denounced the priest, the tragic events of 12 years ago have taught us nothing, because "means of transport are still being overloaded and this is still visible everywhere". "Human life is sacred, because we receive it from God, and we have a responsibility to preserve it". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 29/09/2014)