Citizens Alliance are mourning the victims of the tragic Bronx apartment fire that killed 16 Gambians including children. 

The party said in a statement that it learnt of the incident with “great concern, shock and sadness”. 

“This is an irreparable loss to Gambians both at home and in the Diaspora, particularly to the bereaved families. On behalf of the party’s National Executive and the entire membership, we wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and the entire Gambian populace for this tragic loss.

“We pray that God, The Almighty, have mercy on the departed and rest their souls in Jannah. We also pray that God grants their family members the faith and strength to bear the loss and to breeze through these trying times. 

“To those in the hospitals battling for their lives, we pray for healing mercies for them.”

Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York, Mayor Eric Adams vowed that the city would provide support for the victims, many of whom are from The Gambia.

“Those displaced by the fire were being provided hotel room through the American Red Cross until they could return to their apartments or find permanent housing,” New York officials said.

And the officials also said the fire was the deadliest since the fire at the Happy Land Nightclub in 1990 in the Bronx, located not far from the site of Sunday’s fire. 

The fire on Sunday came just days after a fire in a crowded row house in Philadelphia killed a dozen people, including eight children. And investigators are currently looking into the possibility that the fire was caused by a child playing with a lighter near a Christmas tree.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba