4 Pakistanis confirmed dead in migrant boat disaster off Greece’s Gavdos Island

ATHENS: The Pakistani ambassador to Greece, Muhammad Aamer Aftab Qureshi, on Monday confirmed that four Pakistanis perished in the ill-fated migrant boat disaster off Gavdos Island, Greece.

At least five migrants drowned after their wooden boat carrying several Pakistanis capsized off the Greece’s southern island of Gavdos, the Greek coastguard reported on Saturday.

Read more: At least 89 bodies found after migrant boat capsizes

Witnesses claim that many were still missing as search operation continues following the tragic shipwreck.

The Pakistani ambassador claimed that “there were Pakistanis on board five boats illegally leaving Libya”. He said that the boat carrying Pakistanis first cracked and then sank.

He added that there were more than 80 Pakistanis on board.

The Foreign Office confirmed a day ago that one Pakistani citizen was among the dead in the incident, while 47 Pakistanis were rescued.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Foreign Office updated the confirmed deaths. “We announce with deep sorrow that, as per the latest information shared by the Greek authorities, four Pakistani nationals have been identified among the dead in Saturday’s incidents of capsized boats in the south of Crete Island of Greece”.

The Foreign Office added that the Pakistani mission in Athens, Greek capital, was in contact with the Greek authorities to facilitate survivors and repatriate the dead bodies.

Greece is a hotspot for migrants and refugees across the global south, including the Middle East, Africa and Asia, to get to the wealthy European Union (EU).

In 2015, nearly a million people landed on island across the Mediterranean, mostly on inflatable dinghies.

In June 2023, hundreds of migrants drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized and sank in the international waters off Pylos, Greece.

It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever in the Mediterranean, with at least 209 Pakistanis on the boat perishing.

In April of same year, Pakistanis were among dozes that lost their lives as two migrant boats sank in the glittering blue waters of the Mediterranean near Libyan coast.

Read more: Rescuers search for migrants missing after boat sinks off Canary Islands

In February 2023, Pakistanis were among 59 people killed when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants hoping for a better life crashed against the rocks on Italian coast.