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Migrant boat en-route Spain capsizes near Morocco, over 40 Pakistanis among dead; PM Sharif reacts
According to the migrant rights group Walking Borders, at least 50 migrants may have drowned in the incident
In a tragic incident, a boat carrying 80 migrants attempting to reach Spain capsized near Morocco. Over 40 Pakistanis who were in the boat were reportedly among the dead, PTI reported quoting Pakistani authorities.
According to the migrant rights group Walking Borders, at least 50 migrants may have drowned in the incident.
Moroccan authorities reportedly managed to rescue 36 people a day earlier from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis.
Forty-four of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.
“They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them,” she said.
The Pakistan Foreign Office issued a statement on the incident informing that its embassy in Morocco is in constant communication with local authorities to assist with rescue operations.
A team from Pakistan embassy sent to help victims
Additionally, a team from the Pakistani embassy in Morocco has been sent to Dakhla to support Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance.
The Crisis Management Unit in the Foreign Ministry has also been activated.
“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,” it said.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has already instructed concerned government agencies to provide all possible assistance to the victims.
PM Shehbaz Sharif on the incident
Meanwhile, condemning the act of human trafficking, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief for those who lost their lives in the incident.
The PM also sought a report on the incident from authorities assuring that strict action would be taken against those involved in the heinous act of human trafficking.
"Deeply disturbing news of a boat capsizing off the coast of Morocco, carrying over 80 passengers including several Pakistanis, has come as a shock to me and the entire nation," PM Sharif wrote on X.
"I have directed our Foreign Ministry to instruct its staff in Morocco to urgently ascertain the facts and coordinate with local authorities to locate the missing, rescue the survivors and bring back the remains of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. We will continue to crack down hard on human traffickers and agents in Pakistan who lure innocent citizens into this dangerous trap," he added.
