ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that several Pakistani nationals were feared dead in yet another Libyan maritime tragedy, carrying over 65 illegal migrants from various countries.
“A vessel, carrying approximately 65 passengers including Pakistani nationals, has capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, northwest of Zawiya city,” spokesperson Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement.
The Foreign Office stated that the Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli has dispatched a team to Zawiya Hospital to assist local authorities in identifying the deceased.
Efforts are also under way to ascertain further details about the affected Pakistani nationals, FO added.
Foreign Office spokesperson said the Crisis Management Unit at MoFA has been activated to monitor the situation. The FO advised that concerned individuals can contact the following numbers for updates:
Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli: WhatsApp: +923052185882; Cell: +21891387057; WhatsApp: +218916425435
Crisis Management Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad: Phone: +92519207887; Email: [email protected]
On January 16, a boat with 80 passengers had capsized near Morocco and over 45 Pakistanis were reportedly among the dead.
FO said that a tragic incident has occurred near the Moroccan port of Dakhla, where a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, capsized after departing from Mauritania. Over 21 Pakistani nationals had been identified among the survivors of a boat incident near Dakhla, Morocco off the coast and repatriated to Pakistan last week.
The FO sources said Pakistani Embassy in Tripoli is actively working to gather information regarding the confirmed number of casualties of the boat incident.
It is worth mentioning here that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch massive crackdown against human smugglers so that innocent Pakistani nationals could be protected from falling to prey traffickers.
Sources said FIA has tightened noose around human smugglers and busted the notorious gangs involved in human smugglings.
Similarly, the FIA has also taken stern action against its own officials and dismissed more than 60 officers and officials found colluding with human smugglers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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