Gambia: Tragedy Struck the Gambian Community in Birmingham

The Gambian community in Birmingham - United Kingdom, on Thursday 7th July, woke up to the devastating news about the untimely death of five of their fellow countrymen at a metal scrap site they were working in. The tragic news occurred just a day after the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr which makes it all the more painful, as all the victims were Muslims and must have been celebrating the feast with their family and/or friends less than 24 hours prior to the accident.

According to the BBC, Police were called to Hawkeswood Metal on Aston Church Road in Nechells shortly before 09:00 BST. A spokesman for West Midlands Police said emergency services attended the site but the men were pronounced dead. Det Supt Mark Payne described it as "a very traumatic incident". It is understood a sixth man managed to scramble free. He was taken to Heartlands Hospital with a broken leg.

Aerial view of the recycling plant. Photo source: Birmingham mail

The Birmingham mail reported that the dead men are all believed to be Spanish nationals, originally from Gambia. Among them was Saibo Sillah, 42, who was married and had seven children, including two-year-old twins. The other victims were named locally as Alimamo Jammeh, Ousman Jabbie, Bangaly Dukureh and Mohammed Jagana. According to a childhood friend of one of the victims, it is understood that his family was due to join him in the UK next week. How devastating!

We appreciate that accidents do happen. But nonetheless, some serious questions still  need to be answered regarding this tragedy. More so as it is reported that the same recycling plant was hit by a major fire outbreak in 2011 where over 50 firefighters battled a scrap metal blaze. The fire was believed to be caused by petrol tanks which caught fire during a routine scrap metal cutting work. The police said that they will clearly be investigating whether there are any issues of negligence or malpractice that have contributed to that wall falling down.

Not that any outcome would bring the dead back to live, but it will surely help in preventing future tragic accidents of this nature.

May Allah (SWT) forgive all the departed souls and grant them ARJANATUL FIRDAWS.