ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Saturday confirmed that twelve Pakistani nationals were among survivors of a massive shipwreck off Greece, with the country’s embassy in Athens seeking DNA samples of relatives to verify the number and identity of Pakistanis who had lost their lives in the tragedy.
Patrol boats and a helicopter spent a third day on Friday scouring the area of the Mediterranean Sea where the packed fishing vessel capsized early Wednesday and left more than 500 migrants presumed drowned. Most of the people on board were from Egypt, Syria, and Pakistan, government officials said.
Pakistan’s embassy in Athens said Greek authorities had recovered at least 78 bodies that were beyond recognition, therefore, DNA testing would be carried out to identify the victims. The mission asked relatives of those on board the vessel to email their DNA reports and other details for a match.
“Twelve Pakistanis have been identified among survivors of the capsized boat off the coast of Greece,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson, said in a statement on Saturday.
Later, she issued a list of all the nationals who have so far been rescued.
The spokesperson said the embassy was unable to verify the number and identity of Pakistanis who had lost their lives in the tragedy for now, adding the country’s mission in Greece, headed by Ambassador Aamar Aftab, was in contact with the local authorities for the identification and recovery of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and to provide relief to the survivors.
“Our mission also remains in contact with the Greek authorities in the identification process of the 78 recovered bodies. This identification process will take place through DNA-matching with close family members (parents and children only),” she added.
Relatives were requested to share DNA reports from authenticated laboratories and identity documents of passengers onboard the ill-fated boat at [email protected].
Wednesday’s incident off the western coast of Greece could be the second deadliest migrant shipwreck recorded, the UN migration agency said on Friday.
The deadliest occurred when a vessel capsized off the coast of Libya en route to Italy in April 2015, killing an estimated 1,100 people.
