Brice Paillat, Gabon’s Transportation Minister, tendered on Thursday his resignation to President Ali Bongo Ondimba, few days after the sinking of a ferry off the capital coasts, killing 21 individuals.
“The Deputy Minister of Transport will deal with day-to-day enterprise till a brand new minister is appointed,” state-run information company AGP introduced, including that the Gabonese chief has accepted the resignation.
Paillat’s exit from the cupboard comes a couple of days after a ferry often called Esther Miracle carrying 161 individuals from Libreville to Port-Gentil sank when it capsized in calm waters on March 9 near the coastal village of Nyonie.
124 have been rescued and 21 confirmed lifeless. Search remains to be ongoing to rescue the remaining others.
The resignation additionally got here two days after a number of individuals together with Director Normal of the Service provider Navy, Fidèle Angoué Mba, and his deputy, have been detained in reference to investigations into the causes of the tragedy.
Andre Patrick Roponat, the Libreville public prosecutor, informed AFP information company an inquiry had been launched to find out whether or not negligence, poor upkeep or “components past human management” prompted the accident.
The Gabonese authorities additionally suspended in a single day passenger ship voyages till not less than March 31 and ordered an audit of all passenger vessels.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba decreed a three-day nationwide mourning. He additionally banned all sport and entertaining applications consistent with the mourning to happen March 14-16.
Supply: north africa post
