Islamabad: The Foreign Office has confirmed that a boat carrying 65 migrants, including Pakistani nationals, has capsized off the Libyan coast.
In an official statement, the Foreign Office reported that the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli received information about the incident. The boat overturned near the port of Marsa Della, northwest of Zawiya, Libya.
Following the incident, the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli dispatched a team to Zawiya Hospital to assist local authorities in identifying the victims. The embassy is also working to gather further details about the affected Pakistani nationals.
To monitor the situation, the Foreign Ministry has activated its Crisis Management Unit. For any inquiries, concerned individuals can contact the following numbers:
WhatsApp: 03052185882
Cell: +218913870577
WhatsApp: +21891-6425435
This tragic incident follows several previous migrant boat disasters. On January 16, a boat carrying migrants attempting to reach Spain via West Africa sank, killing 50 people, including 44 Pakistanis.
The organization Walking Borders, which advocates for migrant rights, reported that the boat encountered difficulties while attempting to reach Spain from West Africa. Moroccan authorities later confirmed that 36 people were rescued from the vessel, which had departed from Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis.
Earlier, on December 16, 2024, another tragic boat accident occurred near the Greek island of Gavdos, resulting in the deaths of 40 Pakistani migrants.
In response to the increasing incidents of human smuggling, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed authorities to complete ongoing investigations promptly, identify Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials involved in facilitating human trafficking, and take strict action against them. Additionally, he emphasized improving coordination between relevant agencies to curb human smuggling.
Following investigations, more than 40 FIA officials were dismissed for their involvement in migrant boat tragedies. On January 29, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif removed FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir over slow progress in the Greece boat accident investigation.
