Pakistan’s mission in Greece confirmed on Thursday that five Pakistanis were among the victims of a migrant boat tragedy off the Greek island of Gavdos last week. However, the mission stated it had “no concrete information” on how many of its nationals remain missing, as reported by Arab News.
A report by a local News channel had claimed that at least 40 Pakistanis were killed in the recent tragedy, citing the embassy in Athens.
An official at the Pakistan mission in Greece said, “So far, we have information of five dead Pakistanis and another 47 who have been rescued. No concrete information of missing persons is with us, and this is the final information available at this time.”
“We are in contact with the authorities who have concluded their special search operation,” he added, noting that regular patrolling would continue, and Greek authorities would keep the mission informed of any new developments.
In response to the local media outlet report, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that the government had already released the official death toll and had no further details.
“We cannot comment on people’s statements or claims regarding how many Pakistanis were on board until we receive evidence from the investigation,” she said. “It is difficult to verify the claimed figure, as there was no official record of their travel.”
The incident has raised concerns about human trafficking, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering strict measures to combat the practice and demanding a detailed report on human trafficking involving Pakistani citizens this year.
