Another ship carrying around 65 passengers, including the Pakistanis, capsized off the coast of Libya, confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) on Monday.
In a press release, the FO revealed that the Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli reported the incident, declaring that the ship, carrying around 65 passengers, sank near the port of Marsa Dela, located northwest of the city of Zawiya in Libya.
The embassy immediately sent a team to Zawiya hospital to help local authorities identify the deceased.
The press release also noted that the embassy strives to collect more information on the Pakistani nationals affected by the incident.
It is not yet known if the passengers aboard the ship were migrants.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its crisis management unit to closely monitor the situation, coordinating with local officials and offering aid if necessary.
For people looking for information or assistance concerning the incident, the ministry has provided contact numbers for requests for information.
0305 2185882 (WhatsApp)
+218913870577 (cell)
+218 91-6425435 (WhatsApp)
This development comes after a similar incident last month, when a boat carrying 80 passengers capsized near Morocco.
The unhappy ship carried 86 migrants, the Moroccan authorities reporting that 66 of the passengers were Pakistani nationals. After the incident, 36 people were saved by the Moroccan authorities.
The Pakistani Embassy in Morocco has worked with local officials to facilitate the identification process. The data and photographs of the fingerprints were shared with Nadra, which checked the identity of the victims. Once the confirmation is completed, the official lists were compiled and released.
In the wake of the tragedy, strong reactions have emerged from the Pakistani government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering the authorities to take severe measures against human traffickers and civil servants involved in the facilitation of illegal migrations.
Earlier this month, the former FIA Managing Director Ahmed Ishaca, Jehangir has removed 35 officials for their involvement in the facilitation of human smuggling operations and not to exercise their functions effectively.
