Islamabad (Web Desk): A vessel carrying approximately 65 passengers capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, North West of Zawiya city, Libya with the Pakistan embassy there trying to ascertain the identities of affected Pakistanis.
“Our Embassy in Tripoli has informed that a vessel carrying approximately 65 passengers capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, North West of Zawiya city, Libya,” a Foreign Office (FO) press release said.
The Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli immediately dispatched a team to Zawiya Hospital to assist the local authorities in identification of the deceased.
The Embassy is also trying to ascertain further details of the Pakistani affectees. it added.
Meanwhile, the Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has been activated to monitor the situation. For any query related to this incident, the following numbers can be contacted:
Parep Tripoli
03052185882(WhatsApp)
+218913870577(Cell)
+218 91-6425435(WhatsApp)
Crisis Management Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad.
It is pertinent to mention that the latest tragedy involving migrant boats has added to a growing list of incidents where lives are lost at sea, with dozens of Pakistani nationals drowning in recent months.
One such incident occurred in January when a boat carrying migrants from Mauritania to Spain capsized, resulting in the deaths of over 40 Pakistanis.
The boat, which set sail on January 2, had 86 people aboard, and Moroccan authorities later reported that 66 of the passengers were from Pakistan. They also mentioned that 36 survivors were rescued after the accident.
Before this, a similar disaster took place in mid-December 2024, when more than 80 Pakistanis perished after a boat capsized off the coast of Greece.
This tragic event further highlights the deadly risks faced by those fleeing difficult circumstances and seeking a better life through perilous, illegal migration routes.
Following these heartbreaking events,PM Shehbaz-led govt vowed to take stringent action against the smugglers and the officials who facilitate these dangerous migrations.
As part of this response, 35 officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were dismissed, and the former head of the agency, Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir, was removed due to the slow pace of investigations into the boat incidents and the larger issue of illegal migration.
While these measures reflect a commitment to tackling the issue at the regulatory level, they also point to deeper, systemic problems.
