At least 40 Pakistanis lost their lives in incidents of capsizing of three boats near Greece, according to a report from the Pakistani Embassy in Athens.
The embassy report mentioned bodies of 35 people remain missing, with little to no hope of survival, while five bodies have been retrieved.
According to the report, the missing travellers should be presumed dead as the Greek Coast Guard has cancelled the maritime rescue efforts. According to official sources, there are still over 5,000 Pakistanis in Libya who are ready to travel to Europe while being accompanied by several Libyan and Pakistani agents. The sources said they obtained visas from Pakistan and arrived in Libya legally.Play Video
Three boats that overturned in Greek territorial waters had arrived from Libya’s Tobruk port, according to the Pakistan Embassy report. The first vessel carried 45 passengers, six of them were Pakistanis. In contrast, five of the 47 passengers on the second boat were Pakistanis. Three Bangladeshis, two Egyptians, two Sudanese, and 76 Pakistanis were among the 83 passengers in the third boat. 36 Pakistanis were among the 39 individuals who were rescued from the third vessel.
