(Photo by Gary Raynaldo /©Diplomatic Times)  Many of the victims of the deadly Bronx  apartment fire were  immigrants from West African  nation Gambia.  Volunteers stand outside  The Gambian Youth Organization  at  214 E. 181st Street where items like  clothing, food  and toiletries can be dropped off for tenants left displaced.

By Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Gambia’s Ambassador to the United States said Sunday’s deadly fire in the Bronx, NY killing 17 people is “shock in our country.”   Ambassador Dawda Docka Fadera told CNN the Bronx apartment building that was the scene of one of the worst fires in New York the past 30 years  had been a beloved home for many immigrants from West African nation The Gambia for years.  Many of the victims came to American seeking a better life.  Ambassador Fadera traveled from Washington, DC, to New York after learning of the fire. 

“I think a lot of Gambians who came here, they stayed there before they moved anywhere else. This was kind of a first port of call, this building. It’s a building Gambians have a lot of attachment to. It’s so sad that this horrific and tragic incident took so many lives, and left many people fighting for their lives.”

-Gambia Ambassador Dawda Docka Fadera said, as reported by CNN

Gambia Ambassador to United States  Dawda Docka Fadera (Credit: diplomaticconnections.com) 

(Photo by Gary Raynaldo /©Diplomatic Times)  The American Red Cross is assisting  residents displaced by the fire at  Bronx apartment building with food and shelter.  The 19-story apartment building is seen in the background. 

The residents consisted of a largely Muslim and Gambian population

(Photo by Gary Raynaldo /©Diplomatic Times)  Many of the residents of the Bronx apartment building are Muslims and immigrants from West African  nation Gambia.  Scene of deadly fire outside apartment building Jan. 10, 2022.

(Photo by Gary Raynaldo /©Diplomatic Times)  Bronx apartment building  scene of fire that killed 17 people.