Pakistan will observe a day of mourning on today (Monday) to express solidarity with families of its nationals who drowned in a migrant boat shipwreck off Greece on Wednesday.
At least 78 people were drowned when the ill-fated boat with reportedly 400 to 750 people onboard sank in the Mediterranean Sea near the Greek coast. Meanwhile, some 104 people were rescued and sent to Kalamata, Greece, as per to the latest media reports.
Expressing his grief over the tragic incident of the boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Greece resulting in deaths of several people, including Pakistanis, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced to observe day of mourning tomorrow, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office’s media wing.
It said that the national flag will fly at half mast at all the important buildings.
Meanwhile, the prime minister has constituted a four-member high-level committee to investigate the tragic incident of boat capsizing off Greece coast.
According to a notification issued by the PM’s Office, the committee will comprise National Police Bureau Director General Ehsan Sadiq —who will head the body — Minister of Foreign Affairs Additional Secretary (Africa) Javed Ahmed Umrani, AJK’s Police Region Poonch Deputy Inspector General Sardar Zaheer Ahemed and FIA’s Joint Secretary Faisal Nisar Chaudhry.
The committee will submit its report within one week. Meanwhile, Police arrested ten agents who illegally sent Pakistanis to Europe via boat.
At least 78 people died and more than 100 were rescued including Pakistanis after a fishing boat overloaded with migrants capsized and sank off Peloponnese in southern Greece a day ago.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has launched a crackdown on the network involved in human trafficking in the valley after the Greece traffic boat accident.
DIG Dr. Khalid Chohan said 10 agents sent who sent people illegally to Europe have been taken into custody. The case has been registered at Khoi Rata police station.
The citizens hailing from Gujranwala, Gujarat, Sheikhupura, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, and Kotli in Azad Kashmir, were traveling to Europe in the boat. The rescue teams rescued group comprises both children and adults.
It is pertinent to mention here that the ill-fated migrant ship was carrying approximately 750 people, including 100 children and women. The vessel departed from Libya for Italy on the night of July 8. The incident was occurred due to overcrowding the ship during the loading process.
