The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed on Tuesday that at least 16 Pakistanis have died after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank near the coast of Libya. Ten others are still missing.
The Foreign Office (FO) said a team from the Pakistani Embassy in Tripoli visited Zawiya city and gathered information from local officials and hospital staff. According to reports, the boat was carrying around 63 Pakistanis. So far, 16 bodies have been recovered, and their Pakistani nationality has been confirmed through their passports.
There are 37 survivors, including one in the hospital and 33 in police custody. Three survivors are in Tripoli and are being cared for by the embassy. Around 10 Pakistanis are still missing.
The FO also shared details of the deceased, all of whom were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The embassy is working to gather more information and is in contact with local authorities.
The boat capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, northwest of Zawiya City, Libya. The Pakistani Embassy sent a team to Zawiya Hospital to help identify the victims.
The Crisis Management Unit (CMU) has been activated to monitor the situation. Families can contact the helpline at 051-9207887 or reach officials in Tripoli at 03052185882 (WhatsApp), +218913870577 (cellphone), or +218 91-6425435 (WhatsApp).
PM Shehbaz Orders Action
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the incident “deeply concerning” and directed the Foreign Office and the Libyan mission to investigate the matter. He promised strict action against human traffickers and said negligence would not be tolerated.
Rising Migrant Tragedies
This is not the first such incident. Earlier this year, over 40 Pakistanis died when a boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania. In December 2022, more than 80 Pakistanis drowned near Greece in a similar tragedy.
Many Pakistanis, driven by poverty and the hope of a better life abroad, risk their lives by paying smugglers to reach Europe illegally. The government has taken steps to crack down on human trafficking, including dismissing 35 FIA officials and removing the agency’s former director general for failing to act quickly.
Religious scholars have also condemned illegal migration, calling it against both the law and Islamic teachings.
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