One Pakistani dead, 47 others rescued as migrant boat capsizes in Greek waters

ATHENS: At least five migrants drowned including one Pakistani after their wooden boat en route from Libya to Crete capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the coastguard said on Saturday.

The Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement confirmed that “47 Pakistanis are among those rescued” following yesterday’s incidents and “one Pakistani is confirmed to be among the dead”.

“At this stage, we are unable to confirm the number of deceased or missing Pakistani nationals,” the FO spox said.

Authorities in Islamabad said that Pakistan’s Embassy in Athens is in contact with the Hellenic Coast Guard and with the Coast Guard of Chania, which are directly dealing with the search and rescue operation.

“The Embassy officials have reached the Crete to meet with the rescued Pakistanis and provide them with any assistance required,” the statement read.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also activated its “Crisis Management Unit to facilitate Pakistanis” in Greece.

Earlier on Saturday, Reuters, citing the Greek coastguard, reported that so far 39 men, mostly from Pakistan, have been rescued by cargo vessels sailing in the area. The Greek coastguard said they had been transferred to the island of Crete, adding that the number of those missing had not yet been confirmed as search operations continued.

Coastguard boats, merchant vessels, an Italian frigate, and naval aircraft have been searching the area since Greek authorities were alerted about the incident on Friday night.

In separate incidents on Saturday, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat sailing about 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 migrants some 28 nautical miles off the tiny island in Greece’s south.

Govt orders crackdown against human trafficking

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken notice of the tragic boat capsizing incident near Greece’s southern island.

Prime Minister said concrete steps should be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Shehbaz Sharif said human trafficking is a heinous crime that claims many lives and destroys many homes every year.

He said human traffickers are a cruel mafia that extorts money from poor people by showing them false dreams.

In a separate statement, President Asif Ali Zardari said human trafficking is a heinous practice as people lose their loved ones in it. The President offered condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for fortitude to them.