President
Yahya Jammeh, national chairman and party leader of the ruling APRC party
regrets with deepest sorrow to announce the death of five APRC militants and
Green Youth leaders who were involved in car accident upcountry on Saturday 1st
November.
They were buried on Sunday 2 November 2014. The five, who lost their life in the accident are Lamin Njie of Brusubi, Dawda Conteh of Bakau, Modou Lamin Sanyang of Serrekunda (Crab Island), Lamin Touray alias Tin Tin of New Jeshwang, and Bakary Tanja of Bundung.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident involved a double-cabin pickup vehicle carrying 13 APRC party militants together with their drums, to join the President in his Vision 2016 tour of farms in the provinces.
When the accident occurred, two people reportedly died on the spot while three others were later pronounced dead at the Soma Health Centre.
The vehicle was going towards Janjangbureh in the Central River Region, where President Jammeh was touring Vision 2016 farms. However, before crossing over to CRR, the pickup reportedly somersaulted at the Pakaliba Bridge in Lower River Region.
Two of the 13 people in the vehicle - Dawda Conteh of Bakau and Lamin Njie of Brusubi – confirmed dead on the spot, while Modou Lamin Sanyang of Serekunda, Lamin Touray of New Jeshwang and Bakary Tanja of Bundung were also pronounced dead at Jarra Soma Health Centre. All were buried on Sunday.
According to an eyewitness account, many who were in the vehicle including the deputy youth mobiliser, Fatou Jeng, sustained serious injury with bruises on their face, head and other parts of the body.
Sources further added that the vehicle left KMC in the early hours of Saturday morning rushing to join the President at his farms in CRR.
The driver was reportedly running at a high speed towards Janjangbureh and, upon reaching the Pakaliba Bridge, he could not control the vehicle and it eventually somersaulted.
Another eyewitness said the villagers of Pakaliba helped pull out the victims from the vehicle, who were later taken to Jarra Soma Health Centre for treatment.
The driver was said to be safe, at the time of going to press.
