Staff writer
The deadliest fire in nineteen years engulfed an apartment in Bronx, NY, killing 19 confirmed Africans mainly immigrants from The Gambia 🇬🇲 yesterday.
All the victims hail from the same town, Allunhare in The Gambia. The entire country of The Gambia is reeling in a state of shock.
“When this news broke in The Gambia,” Ambassador Dawda Fadera said in an interview, “the whole country’s gripped in a state of shock.”
Ambassador Dawda Fadera
An entire family of the Dukureh died. The victims were – Haji Dukuray and Haja Dukureh were 49 and 37, respectively with their children, Mustapha Dukureh, 12, Mariam Dukureh, 11, and Fatoumata Dukureh, 6, according to confirmed reports. 9 children are confirmed among the dead.
Image credit: Tomas E. Gaston /courtesy/
The apartment had been cited numerous times for safety code violations. The public housing complex had a litany of reported malfunctioning doors, broken ventilation systems, no heat, vermin infestation and faulty elevators among other violations.
A space heater caused the fire 🔥 in one of the Gambian residents’ apartment. According to the occupant, it was cold and the building’s heating system was not sufficient.
The tight close community has been meeting at a local mosque for consolation and moral support.
New York mayor Eric Adams has vowed to assist the families and the school the children attended with resources as they deal with the trauma that has visited the community.
Image credit: Associated Press /courtesy/
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