At least three Pakistani citizens are reported to have died in a boat wreck off the coast of Benghazi in Libya, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.
“3 Pakistani nationals perished in a boat wreck near #Benghazi, #Libya,” the Foreign Office announced on its official Twitter account, bringing down an earlier reported death toll of four to three.
Pakistan’s embassy in Tripoli is facilitating the process of transportation of the mortal remains of the victims to Pakistan, it added.
In an earlier, separate tragic incident, 3 Pakistani nationals perished in a boat wreck near #Benghazi, #Libya. @PakinLibya_ is facilitating the process of transportation of the mortal remains to #Pakistan.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 28, 2023
The latest incident comes after 62 people died when a wooden sailboat carrying migrants from several countries, including Pakistan, crashed against the rocks off southern Italian coast early on Sunday.
Also read: Two Pakistanis arrested for trafficking after Italy migrant boat wreck
The Foreign Office confirmed that 20 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat—17 of whom survived while three were still missing.
In a separate tweet on Tuesday, the Foreign Office announced that they have found another Pakistani national among the survivors, bringing the total number of Pakistani survivors to 17.
❗️#Update on the tragic incident of 26 February in #Italy.
With great sorrow we can confirm that two Pakistanis have lost their lives in the tragic incident of the boat capsized off the coast of Italy, as identified by their families.
Inna lillah hay wa inna elaihi rajeoun.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 28, 2023
The Foreign Office further confirmed the death of two Pakistanis in the tragic incident.
“With great sorrow we can confirm that two Pakistanis have lost their lives in the tragic incident of the boat capsized off the coast of Italy, as identified by their families,” it said.
However, another Pakistani national has alhamdulillah been found among survivors in same incident, bringing total Pakistani survivors to 17. @PakinItaly remains engaged to assist in the matter. Emb officials have met survivors & are in contact with Italian authorities as well.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 28, 2023
It said that the Pakistan embassy in Rome “remains engaged to assist in the matter” and that its “officials have met survivors & are in contact with Italian authorities as well”.
The vessel, which was believed to be carrying betwwen 180 to 200 migrants, had set sail from Izmir in western Turkey three or four days earlier, Manuela Curra, the provincial government official in Italy’s southern Calabria region, said.
Also read: 16 Pakistanis survive Italy shipwreck
On Tuesday, Italian authorities said they have arrested three people who they believe were involved in trafficking the migrants on the ill-fated vessel.
Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis told Reuters hat a Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the terrible weather, and were identified by survivors as “the main culprits of the tragedy”.
“According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8,000 euros ($8,485) each for the deadly journey,” said Lippolis, commander of a finance police team in the region of Calabria. “All three have been arrested.”
One of the Pakistanis was a minor, a judicial source said, adding that police were looking for a fourth suspect, who is Turkish.
On February 15, at least 73 migrants were reported missing and presumed dead following a shipwreck off the Libyan coast, according to the International Organisation for Migration IOM in Libya said.
Seven survivors made it to shore from the boat, which was carrying around 80 people who had reportedly departed from Qasr Alkayar, east of Tripoli, to head to Europe, the IOM added.
Source link: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2403719/at-least-three-pakistanis-perish-in-boat-wreck-near-libya