[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]ISLAMABAD: On Monday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the foreign ministry to “ascertain facts” regarding the tragedy involving the Italian boat that claimed the lives of over twenty Pakistanis right away.
The 59 persons who drowned when a boat bringing migrants to Europe collided with rocks close to the southern Italian coast are believed to include 28 Pakistanis.
According to Italian police, at least 81 people survived the disaster on Sunday, with 20 being hospitalized, one of them was in intensive care.
According to reports, in addition to those from Turkey, the wooden boat also reportedly transported passengers from Iran and Afghanistan.
The reports of the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy are deeply concerning and worrisome,” Sharif said in a statement, adding, “I have directed the foreign office to ascertain facts as early as possible and take the nation into confidence.”
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra said the ministry had requested Italian authorities for details.
Requests for comment from the Afghan foreign ministry were not immediately fulfilled.
Turkey is a part of one of the most popular routes used by people smugglers to smuggle migrants into Europe. These migrants, who often travel by road, walk for kilometers, and endure being imprisoned in ship containers for days, often do so through Turkey.
One of the main ports of entry for migrants trying to reach Europe by water is Italy, where many hope to continue their journeys to countries in northern Europe.
Since 2014, the central Mediterranean has seen more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances, according to the United Nations Missing Migrants Project. It calculates that over 220 people have passed away or vanished this year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
