Pakistanis loaded illegal migrant boat capsizes in Greece
The foreign affairs ministry confirmed on Sunday that one citizen was among the dead when migrants’ boats capsized in Greece while 47 Pakistanis were among the rescued.
“The Embassy of Pakistan in Athens is in contact with the Hellenic Coast Guard and with the Coast Guard of Chania, which are directly dealing with the search and rescue operation,” the FO said in a statement.
At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat, carrying many Pakistanis, capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the coastguard said on Saturday, with witnesses saying many were still missing as search operations continued.
By Saturday night 39 men, most of them from Pakistan, had been rescued by cargo vessels sailing in the area. They have been transferred to the island of Crete, the coastguard said, adding that the number of those missing had not yet been confirmed.
Coastguard boats, merchant vessels, an Italian frigate and naval aircraft have been searching the area since Greek authorities were alerted about the incident on Friday night.
In separate incidents on Saturday, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat sailing about 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 migrants some 28 nautical miles off the tiny island in Greece’s south.
According to initial information, coastguard officials believe the boats left together from Libya.
Greece was a favoured gateway to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015-2016, when nearly 1 million people landed on its islands, mostly via inflatable dinghies.
Incidents with migrant boats and shipwrecks off Crete and its tiny neighbour Gavdos, which are relatively isolated in the central Mediterranean, have increased over the past year.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever in the Mediterranean Sea and there were at least 209 Pakistanis on the boat.
Naqvi orders investigation
In response to the tragedy, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed deep sorrow over the loss of Pakistani lives and ordered an immediate investigation. He has formed a committee, headed by the Additional Secretary of the Interior Ministry, to submit a report within five days.
Minister Naqvi condemned human smuggling as an unacceptable crime, stating that the smuggling mafia has destroyed countless lives.
He called for decisive action by the Federal Investigation Agency to dismantle human trafficking networks across the country without discrimination.
PM Shehbaz grieved over loss of Pakistani lives
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his sorrow over the loss of Pakistani lives in a boat capsising incident and directed that all necessary measures be taken in this regard.
“Human trafficking is a tragic crime that claims many lives and causes numerous families to suffer every year,” the prime minister said in a press statement issued by the PM House.
He said human traffickers were a “cruel mafia” who exploit the poor by deceiving them with false and ambitious dreams.
The prime minister directed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to submit the investigation report of the incident “as soon as possible.”
