Over 40 Pakistanis feared drowned as migrant boat capsizes off West African coast
Over 40 Pakistanis are feared drowned after a boat capsized off West Africa's Atlantic coast, a key departure point for migrants to Europe. President Zardari expressed sorrow over the tragedy and emphasized the importance of strict measures against human trafficking.
More than 60 Pakistani citizens are feared drowned this week after a migrant boat capsized off the West African coast.
According to the Pakistani embassy in Morocco, a boat carrying 80 passengers had set off from Mauritania at the beginning of this month. The vessel capsized near Dakhla — a Moroccan-controlled port city in the disputed Western Sahara — while attempting to reach Spain. Authorities also said that the Pakistani embassy in Morocco remained in touch with local authorities.
Migrant rights group Walking Borders said around 50 of the travellers may have drowned in the accident. Moroccan authorities reportedly rescued 36 people from the boat earlier this week. It suggested that there had been a total of 86 migrants on board — including 66 Pakistanis.
“Our Embassy in Rabat (Morocco) has informed us that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla. Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla,” read a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office on Thursday night.
It also said that a team had been dispatched to Dakhla to facilitate the Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance while the Crisis Management Unit in the Foreign Ministry has been activated. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also sought a report on the incident from authorities and said that strict action would be taken against those involved in the heinous act of human trafficking.
Hundreds of Pakistani migrants die every year while attempting to cross into Europe via perilous land and sea routes with the help of human smugglers.
Five Pakistani nationals were killed and 35 others presumed dead in December last year after a boat carrying over 200 illegal migrants sank off of Greece's Gavdos island. As many as 262 Pakistani nationals also lost their lives in a similar incident in the same area in 2023.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsWorldOver 40 Pakistanis feared drowned as migrant boat capsizes off West African coast
First Published:17 Jan 2025, 04:51 PM IST
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