A Passenger Boat Sank Near the Coast of Senegal - 2002-09-28

On Thursday evening, a passenger boat sank during a storm near the coast of the African country Senegal, and local officials fear that nearly 700 bodies may be inside the boat. A spokesperson for the Senegalese government stated that 60 people have been rescued and 88 bodies have been recovered. The boat was carrying nearly 800 passengers when it was caught in the storm. According to the Associated Press, a source said that the diving teams that retrieved the 88 bodies found nothing but corpses when they looked inside the sunken boat. However, officials remain hopeful that others may have survived. Military divers with special equipment are expected to search the boat. Senegalese officials say there is little hope that anyone survived from the 700 passengers on a ship that capsized and sank due to the storm in Gambian coastal waters. Rescuers continue their efforts today in hopes of finding survivors, but officials state that the chances of anyone being alive are not high. The Senegalese government reports that 60 people have been rescued and 88 bodies have been found so far. The ship had 800 passengers. In Dakar, relatives and friends of the victims are pressuring the government for more information about their loved ones.