Refugee wins €400,000 Christmas lottery

MADRID: A Senegalese refugee who made the perilous journey to Europe on an overcrowded migrant boat has won €400,000 (RM1.87 million) on the Spanish Christmas lottery.

Identified only by his first name, Ngagne, the 35-year-old was one of thousands of people to take part in Spain’s famous El Gordo – the “fat one” – game.

When his hometown of Roquetas de Mar won first prize in Tuesday’s draw, everybody who’d bought a ticket was automatically entitled to a share of a massive €630 million jackpot.

Speaking after learning of his win, Ngagne paid tribute to the Spanish rescue workers who changed his life in 2007 when they saved the desperate mainly African refugees who were on his boat.

Ngagne has spent the last eight years working as a vegetable picker but in an incredible twist had lost the job just days before purchasing his lottery ticket.

He said that he and his wife had just €5 between them when they learned of their windfall.

The winning number – 79140 – appeared on a total of 1,600 tickets in Roquetas de Mar.