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AN UNEMPLOYED SENEGALESE man who was rescued by the Spanish coastguard after making a risky journey from Morocco eight years ago on a packed wooden boat won €400,000 in Spain’s annual Christmas lottery, local media is reporting today.
The man, identified only by his first name Ngame, was one of the holders of one of the 1,600 tickets with the winning number – 79140 – in Tuesday’s massive draw, regional daily newspaper La Voz de Almeria reported.
The tickets had been sold in the southern beach city of Roquetas de Mar in the province of Almeria where the 35-year-old lives with his wife, who joined him on the crossing to Spain.
“I just can’t believe this, I can tell you that on some days we do not have five euros between the two of us,” he told the newspaper which published a photo of Ngame holding his winning ticket.
Ngame and his wife arrived eight years ago in the resort island of Tenerife, a part of Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco.
They were taken there after being rescued by Spain’s coast guard when the boat they were travelling in ran into trouble.
“There were 65 people on that boat. I want to give thanks to Spaniards and the Spanish government for rescuing me when I was in the sea,” he told the newspaper.
Since arriving in Spain, the couple have tried to survive on temporary farm work or as vegetable pickers in the sea of greenhouses that spread for kilometres in Almeria.
Ngame said he was recently laid off from his job in one of the greenhouses.
Spain’s annual Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo” or “The Fat One”, is ranked as the world’s richest, handing out a total of €2.2 billion this year.
Unlike other big lotteries that generate just a few big winners, Spain’s Christmas lottery aims to share the wealth, with thousands of numbers getting a prize.
The Christmas lottery has been held uninterrupted since 1812. Even Spain’s 1936-39 civil war did not end it, as each side held its own draw during the conflict.
It has become a popular Christmas tradition in Spain, with friends, colleagues and bar regulars banding together to buy tickets.
The standard ticket costs €20 and queues form outside lottery stores weeks ahead of the draw.
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Mcdonalds is always there for me too. Unfortunately for my waist!!
I hate McDonald’s and yet I find their double cheeseburgers annoyingly addictive…
#Jimmy
Mar tá siad lá le siúrce agus cimicí chun go mbeidh tú tugtha dóibh.
Gaeltan,
Perché si rispondere a un commento in una lingua diversa ? è rozzo
Is maith liom sceallóga agus ispíní.
Eh?
Breaking News: James Franco worked in McDonald’s. Bad day at the office Journal?
I know the feeling James, mc Donald’s has often taken me out of a hole too.
Ironic, mackers has taken the hole out of me more than once.
Silly boy.
To be fair it reads a bit like james got a few dollars for reading that script!
McDonald’s where even the salads are unhealthy.
Pure manure!!
Terrible actor, brutal Director and an even worse artist… one guy that should have never given up the day job…
What have you done lately?
Let’s put this to bed once and for all…Big Mac or Whopper??
Neither.
Big Mac on its own or a Whopper if you whack a few BK onion rings into it! Now thats me darza!!
The double cheeseburger for €2
Often emptied my hole!!
Caroline did?
She always was dirty.
Ask the lads…..
Yeah, Cal is well known………
A “full Irish breakfast” is far more dangerous to your waistline than anything served up in McDonalds.
Anyway,why pick on McDonalds?
ALL restaurants serve up fattening foods.
Ever wondered what’s in that “Nouveau Cusine” they serve up in upmarket restaurants?
At least McDonalds is spotlessly clean and hygienic.
Unlike a lot of other “greasy spoon” dumps you see on the high street.
And a LOT cleaner and hygienic than most Irish kitchens I have seen.
McDonalds sells happiness. I’d have it every other month but never as my main meal of the day.
Large chicken legend meal, salsa, no bacon, with coke. That’s the one and only meal I eat at McDonalds and I’d happily eat it everyday if I could get away with it. Add chicken nuggets and its €10 exactly.
have your say