Greece boat disaster: 12 Pakistanis identified among survivors of capsized boat, says FO

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: A total of 12 Pakistanis were identified among the survivors of the capsized boat off the coast of Greece but so far the number and identity of Pakistani nationals among the deceased was not verified.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a press statement on Saturday, said the Pakistan Mission in Greece under Ambassador Aamar Aftab remained in contact with the local authorities for identification and recovery of Pakistani nationals among the deceased and providing relief to the survivors. “Our Mission also remains in contact with the Greek authorities in the identification process of 78 recovered bodies. This identification process will take place through DNA-matching with close family members (parents and children only),” the spokesperson further said. Families of likely passengers on board the boat were requested to contact Pak Mission in Greece on the 24/7 helpline numbers for verification purposes. They were also requested to share DNA reports from authenticated laboratories and the identity documents of the passenger at ‘info@pakistanembassy.gr.”

The UN Human Rights officials said that up to 500 people were still missing from a migrant boat that sank off Greece. A large number of women and children were among those missing in the “horrific tragedy” that left 78 people dead. The fishing boat was carrying up to 750 people that went down 50 nautical miles off Pylos in southern Greece, according to international media.

The Greek police on Thursday arrested nine Egyptians on suspicion of people smuggling — one of them the captain of the boat carrying the migrants. They were detained at the port of Kalamata, where the survivors are being cared for, said Greek news agency ANA.

The survivors, mainly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, were being housed in a Kalamata warehouse. Greece, Italy and Spain are among the main landing points for tens of thousands of people who seek to reach Europe as they flee conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday offered his condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Greece. On his Twitter handle account, the PM said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.” He further said Pakistan’s Embassy in Athens had identified 12 Pakistanis rescued by Hellenic Coast Guard.

The embassy was in contact with the Greek authorities for further updates.

Meanwhile Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on Saturday expressed his profound grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in boat disaster in Greece, in which dozens of Pakistanis including those hailing from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), had reportedly died. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant fortitude and patience to the bereaved to bear this irreparable loss.

He directed the Chief Secretary to appoint a special focal person who would coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs on the matter. The AJK PM also directed the authorities concerned to make proper arrangements for shifting of the dead bodies of AJK citizens to their homes.

Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday arrested the prime suspect of Greek boat incident, who is allegedly involved in smuggling people to Europe via Greece and Libya. The suspect identified as Sajid Mehmood was arrested from Karachi airport while he was trying to escape to Azerbaijan, the FIA said. The suspect was offloaded from plane after his name appeared on the FIA’s stop-list, the officials added.

They added that the man was involved in the crime of illegally sending people to Libya. He was trying to escape to Azerbaijan using a visit visa through a Pakistani passport. When his information was entered into the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS), it issued a hit alert indicating that the man was wanted.

According to the stop list, Mehmood’s arrest was the required action due to a case (No80/2023) registered against him.

The FIA said Mehmood is a resident of Mandi Bahauddin district and accused of smuggling youth to Europe via Greece and Libya.

The suspect is running a human smuggling network from Greece and previously smuggled several people to Libya. The federal agency said the same suspect was also allegedly involved in the boat that capsized in Libya in March.

The officials said the suspect will be handed over to FIA Gujarat bureau and a case has been registered against him in the same district.