At least 40 Pakistanis dead in Greece boat capsize as rescue efforts called off

Islamabad : At least 40 Pakistanis lost their lives in incidents of capsizing of three boats near Greece, according to a report from the Pakistani Embassy in Athens.

The embassy report mentioned bodies of 35 people remain missing, with little to no hope of survival, while five bodies have been retrieved.

According to the report, the missing travellers should be presumed dead as the Greek Coast Guard has cancelled the maritime rescue efforts. According to official sources, there are still over 5,000 Pakistanis in Libya who are ready to travel to Europe while being accompanied by several Libyan and Pakistani agents. The sources said they obtained visas from Pakistan and arrived in Libya legally.

Three boats that overturned in Greek territorial waters had arrived from Libya’s Tobruk port, according to the Pakistan Embassy report. The first vessel carried 45 passengers, six of them were Pakistanis. In contrast, five of the 47 passengers on the second boat were Pakistanis. Three Bangladeshis, two Egyptians, two Sudanese, and 76 Pakistanis were among the 83 passengers in the third boat. 36 Pakistanis were among the 39 individuals who were rescued from the third vessel.

The fives bodies of Pakistanis were recovered from the third boat. Sufyan, Rehman Ali, Haji Ahmed, and Abid were the names of the four victims while the fifth victim was still unidentified.

The deceased hailed from Sialkot, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. Furthermore, 39 people are still missing from the third vessel, of which 35 are Pakistanis. The report also noted that a Sudanese driver, who was among the rescued individuals, had been taken into custody. All the rescued Pakistani nationals have been shifted to Malakasa refugee camp, located 40 kilometres from Athens.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to take concrete action against human trafficking. While chairing a meeting to discuss the death of Pakistani nationals and the measures taken to curb human trafficking, the premier, called for strict action against those involved in human trafficking. He also sought a report on the incidents of human trafficking during the last year.

Shehbaz recalled that 262 Pakistani nationals had lost their lives in another incident in the same area last year and expressed his displeasure over inaction against those responsible. “The recurrence of such incidents is due to the sluggish actions against the people involved,” he added. He ordered for immediate implementation of the Integrated Border Management System to monitor international travellers.

During the briefing, he was told that 174 people involved in human trafficking had been produced before courts with four of them convicted. The premier sought details on the public awareness campaign on human trafficking and asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to furnish a report on the incidents involving Pakistani nationals over the last year. He also stressed the need to enhance collaboration with international institutions to prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents.

In a related development, the Foreign Office announced activating its Crisis Management Unit to assist Pakistanis in Greece. Pakistani nationals in Greece and their families were urged to contact the CMU via telephone at 051-9207887 or by email at cmu1@mofa.gov.pk. Families of the missing Pakistanis can also reach the Embassy of Pakistan in Greece to provide details at +30-6943850188. (Geo News)