ISLAMABAD: The death toll of Pakistanis who died after various boats carrying migrants to Europe capsized off the coast of Greece has risen to 40.
The Greek coast guard completed its rescue operations in the sea on Wednesday, including the identification of the drowned migrants.
According to sources, the Pakistani victims were traveling on three different boats. Initially, the death toll was reported at 35, but it later increased to 40 on Wednesday.
Pakistani sources also revealed that around 5,000 Pakistanis are still stranded in Libya, attempting to reach Europe. They are staying there with various agents from both Pakistan and Libya, having processed their visas for Libya before departure, the sources said, according to a report in GEO.
A few days ago, three boats capsized south of Crete in Greece, resulting in five deaths on the spot. One Pakistani was identified among the victims after an identity check.
On Tuesday, the number of Pakistani deaths rose to four, with dozens still missing. A total of 47 Pakistanis were on the capsized boats.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala has registered a case against four individuals, including a woman, under the Human Trafficking Act. Most of the victims hailed from Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, and Mandi Bahauddin districts.
According to the FIA, the alleged human traffickers involved in the Gujranwala case include Qamar Zaman alias Khuram Jajja, Usman, Asif Jajja, and Sofia Ashiq.
The group also attempted to send a young man named Sufiyan illegally to Italy via boat from Libya. The accused had received Rs 2.4 million from Sufiyan for his journey to the European country.
All four individuals, who are from the same family, have been running a human trafficking racket for a long time, operating from various countries.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to take strict action against the human traffickers defaming Pakistan. He also requested a report on human trafficking incidents involving Pakistani citizens from the previous year.
Chairing a meeting to discuss the deaths of Pakistani nationals in the boat capsizing incident in Greece and measures to curb human trafficking, the prime minister called for stringent action against those responsible for trafficking innocent people.
He recalled that 262 Pakistani nationals had lost their lives in a similar incident in the same area last year and expressed displeasure over the lack of action against those responsible.
He added that the recurrence of such incidents was due to sluggish actions against the perpetrators.