ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) confirmed on Sunday that one Pakistani citizen was among the dead in the boat capsizing incidents in Greece, while 47 others from Pakistan were successfully rescued.
At least five migrants lost their lives when their wooden boat, which was transporting several Pakistanis, overturned near Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, according to the coastguard on Saturday. Witnesses reported that several individuals were still missing as search operations are continued.
Those rescued had 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.
“At this stage we are unable to confirm the number of dead or missing Pakistani nationals.” the FO said in a statement.
It said that 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 Embassy officials have reached Crete to meet with the rescued Pakistanis and provide them with any assistance required,” it added.
The FO said that it has activated its Crisis Management Unit (CMU) to facilitate Pakistanis in Greece.
Pakistani nationals in Greece were asked to contact the CMU at (051-9207887) or (cmu1@mofa. gov.pk)
Families of missing Pakistanis can contact the Embassy of Pakistan to share details at (+30-6943850188), the statement added.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life in the incident. “Human trafficking is a heinous act, people lose their loved ones,” the president was quoted as saying in a post on X by PPP. He also stressed the need to intensify measures to prevent human trafficking.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed regret over the incident and directed that all necessary steps be taken.
He also directed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to submit an inquiry report as soon as possible.
In a separate post on X, Shehbaz noted that the Pakistan Embassy in Athens is working closely with Greek authorities to ascertain details and provide information to families of the victims, which Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is overseeing.
He added that the government will make all efforts to bring the rescued Pakistanis back home safely, and “take strict action against those involved in this incident of illegal human trafficking.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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