MONROVIA – Jamama Kama, 25, dreamt of being in a sinking boat the night prior to her boarding Niko Ivanka for Maryland County. Her dream had instilled fear in her, especially being a first-time rider on the ship.
She shared the dream with other passengers on board but no one took her seriously.
Being a mother of two, Jamama, one of 15 survivors from the sunk vessel, trades frozen foods and used clothes to support her children and younger siblings in Maryland County, she said.
“I told a lady I dreamt that the boat sank, so I said I wanted to get off the boat and because I wanted to leave; I started provoking crew members of the boat about how some WAEC staffs had told me they paid US$ 100.00 when some of us paid only US$30.00,” she explained.
She explained her ordeal to members of the Maryland County legislative caucus over the weekend when they paid her a visit in Monrovia where is currently living temporarily.
She said she was encouraged by her friend to travel by sea since the road during the rainy season is very bad.
According to her, by 2 am she woke up and saw cotton floating on the ship with crew members looking confused. She said, as she tried to inquire what was happening, she was told by crew members that they were in search of a pump to pump out the water that had overwhelmed the ship.
Jamama: “When I asked what was going wrong they told me they were looking for a pump to pump the water off the boat, at that point, everyone was sleeping as I walked further I saw the head of the boat sinking at which point I was alarmed for other passengers to wake up from sleep.
“While all this was going on, one of the captains went upstairs and collected life jackets and shared among his crew members leaving passengers out. I became concerned and scared, I jumped on one of the crew members who had on life jackets and was attempting to jump in the sea. We both entered the water but he fought me off his neck; that’s when I grabbed one of the floating items and started to fight for my life.”
She also explained how she saw other passengers drowning but could do nothing to help. “I saw people drowning because the Sea became very rough.”
Jamama survived the horrific situation, but she currently has a health condition. She says doctors have recommended that she does an X-ray, however, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, has run out of X-ray films, she said.
FrontPageAfrica has not been able to independently verify that information.
House Speaker Bhofal Chambers, Senators J. Gble-Gbo Brown and James Biney, and Representative P. Mike Jurry were on the delegation.
The delegation headed by Speaker Chambers commended Jamama for her bravery and strength to fight for her survival. They committed the county caucus to intervene in their weak way to further identify with her and other survivors.
“Know that we are by your side, it could have been any one of us, and please inform us if you know any of the victims. We are here to say we are sorry and as a way of support to you. We want you to remain strong. God has a purpose for you,” Speaker Chambers said.