Searchers say more than 700 likely dead in ferry sinking off West Africa, 88 bodies recovered

Associated Press | September 27, 2002 | NAFI DIOUF

[Huck]

Maybe if Slick Willie hurries he can get over there in time to ham it up for CNN. Shed a few tears. Pout.

[duckbutt]

My goodness! Prayers for the families.....

[A CA Guy]

If they all happen to be white farmers I will suspect foul play.

[A CA Guy]

Yes, for sure, terrible thing to happen. Everything bad seems to happen in Africa though.

[Dog Gone]

Never get on a ferry that is leaning to one side, with 800 other people, during a gale.

Just a simply rule of thumb.

[Timesink]

What did Bush know and when did he know it?

[mikhailovich]

Yet another reason not to attack Iraq.

[Palladin]

In the Casamance, all the farmers are black. Senegal is a civilized country, very unlike South Africa.

My heart goes out to all these people and their survivors. May God watch over all of them and be with them in their time of sorrow.

[areafiftyone]

Jeeze how can they pack 800 people on a ferry. Reminds me of those trains in India where people ride on the roofs.

[drc43]

"Jeeze how can they pack 800 people on a ferry. Reminds me of those trains in India where people ride on the roofs."

That's nothing...this little baby packs in 1,200 people, 350 automobiles and 77 tractor trailers.

The Newfoundland Ferry. What a ride.

[Cleburne]

How terrible- prayers for the families and survivors.

[Slip18]

May God bless their souls and help their families get through this tragic time.

[PsyOp]

" The Newfoundland Ferry. What a ride."

Something tells me the West African ferry one was a tad less seaworthy than the one in your picture.

It was probably a 40's vintage boat, poorly maintained (if at all), loaded to twice safe capacity, and left port in conditions obviously unsafe. I'd be greatly surprised if that was not the case.

Hope there are survivors.

[drc43]

"I'd be greatly surprised if that was not the case. "

Yup. And having been aboard a large ferry several times in bad weather, I can only imagine the horror and panic that must have gone on.

My prayers too for the families and survivors.

[RightWhale]

Never get on a ferry that is leaning to one side, with 800 other people, during a gale, or even 2 out of 3 of these conditions. Or maybe not even one of these conditions.

[MinuteGal]

CROSSING THE RIVER STYX

Birthed with a foot in Charon's ferry
Fighting to breathe, battling to live
Ominously, no mercy, in swift fashion
Atropos hovers with evil intent close by
Terrible, vigilant with her deadly shears
Eternally waiting to snip life's thread.

A horrible tragedy, and all too common in these backward regions of the world.

Leni

[onedoug]

In thy books, God....

[Tennessee_Bob]

They've got a long ways to go to beat the worst peace-time maritime disaster though. The Dona Paz collided with a tanker on December 20, 1987 outside Manila, and 4,341 people were killed.

Gee, wonder why they didn't make a movie about that?

[razorback-bert]

My rule of thumb is never board a third world boat.