ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday nine nationals had died recently in two separate shipwrecks in Italy and Libya, with the country’s missions abroad actively engaged with foreign authorities to repatriate the bodies of the deceased.
Italian authorities say between 150-200 migrants were on board a wooden boat that, after setting sail from Turkey, broke apart off Steccato di Cutro in southern Italy on Sunday. Most were from Afghanistan, while others were from Pakistan, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Iran and Somalia. Around 67 are dead, 80 were rescued, and the search for others is continuing.
In a separate incident, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least 73 migrants were missing and presumed dead after their boat sank off the Libyan coast in mid-February.
“Let me begin with the recent tragic case of Pakistanis who were onboard a vessel that capsized off the coast of Italy on 26th February 2023,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.
“Two Pakistani nationals have lost their lives in the tragic incident. 17 Pakistanis have been rescued while two individuals are still missing.”
In a separate boat wreck incident, Baloch said, seven Pakistanis had died near Benghazi, Libya.
“The Embassy of Pakistan in Libya is facilitating the process of identification of the bodies and transportation of the mortal remains to Pakistan with the support of local authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross,” she said.
Italian authorities on Tuesday said they had arrested three people, including a Pakistani, and were looking for a fourth suspect who they believe trafficked the 200 migrants aboard a wooden boat.
Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis, commander of a finance police team in the region of Calabria, told Reuters a Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the terrible weather and were identified by survivors as "the main culprits of the tragedy".
"According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8,000 euros ($8,485) each for the deadly journey," said Lippolis. "All three have been arrested."