In a tragic incident, over 40 Pakistanis lost their lives after a boat carrying 80 migrants en route to Spain capsized near Morocco, said the Pakistan Foreign Office in a statement on Thursday (Jan 16).

Advertisment

As per the migrant rights group, Walking Borders, up to 50 people may have drowned in the tragedy.

Moroccan authorities managed to rescue 36 people a day earlier from the boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis.

Also read | Biden won't enforce TikTok ban, leaves it to Trump as January 19 deadline approaches

Advertisment

Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said that 44 of those who died were Pakistanis.

"Fifty people died on a boat heading to the Canary Islands, forty-four of the victims were Pakistanis. They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them," she wrote on X.

Advertisment

Team from the Pakistan embassy sent to help victims

The Pakistan Foreign Office stated that its embassy in Morocco is in constant communication with local authorities to assist with rescue operations. A team from the Pakistani embassy in Morocco has also been sent to Dakhla to support Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance.

Also read | South Korea's suspended President Yoon defies second day of questioning after arrest amid martial law probe

"Our Embassy in Rabat (Morocco) has informed us, that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla. Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla. Our Embassy in Rabat is in touch with local authorities. Additionally, a team from the Embassy has been dispatched to Dakhla to facilitate the Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance," the statement said.

The Crisis Management Unit in the Foreign Ministry has also been activated.

"The Crisis Management Unit (CMU) in the Foreign Ministry has been activated and the Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister has instructed the relevant Government agencies to extend all possible facilitation to the affected Pakistanis," the Pakistan Foreign Office added.

Also read | Lakshadweep: Indian Coast Guard rescues 54 passengers from stranded vessel

PM Sharif expresses grief over the incident

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief for those who lost their lives in the incident. He also directed the Foreign Ministry to coordinate with local authorities to locate the missing, rescue the survivors and bring back the remains of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.

"Deeply disturbing news of a boat capsizing off the coast of Morocco, carrying over 80 passengers including several Pakistanis, has come as a shock to me and to the entire nation. I have directed our Foreign Ministry to instruct its staff in Morocco to urgently ascertain the facts and coordinate with local authorities to locate the missing, rescue the survivors and bring back the remains of those who lost their lives in this tragedy," PM Sharif posted on X.

Also read | India and Bangladesh exchange 185 fishermen in mutual repatriation effort

The PM also assured that strict action would be taken against those involved in the heinous act of human trafficking.

"We will continue to crack down hard on human traffickers and agents in Pakistan who lure innocent citizens into this dangerous trap," he said.

Similar incident happened in December, 2024

This incident comes a month after more than 80 Pakistanis drowned after boats carrying them capsized near Greece on the night between December 13 and 14, 2024.

Although, as many as 36 Pakistani citizens were rescued, the rest remain missing which, as per a report from the Pakistani Embassy, should be presumed dead.

The boats, which departed from Libya's Tobruk port also carried Bangladeshi, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals.

(With inputs from agencies)

Â