The Foreign Office confirmed on Monday that the number of Pakistanis who died in a Greek shipwreck last week has risen to four. The tragedy occurred when a wooden boat carrying many Pakistani migrants capsized off the southern Greek island of Gavdos, with at least five migrants reported dead. Witnesses mentioned that many others were still missing as search efforts continued. In separate incidents, a Malta-flagged cargo ship rescued 47 migrants about 40 nautical miles from Gavdos, while a tanker saved another 88 migrants around 28 nautical miles off the island.
The Foreign Office had previously reported one Pakistani death and 47 rescued individuals. However, in a statement released today, the FO expressed deep sorrow, confirming that four Pakistani nationals were identified among the deceased, according to the latest information from Greek authorities. The Pakistani mission in Athens is working closely with Greek officials to assist the survivors and arrange for the repatriation of the bodies.
Greece had been a primary route to the European Union for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis. The region has seen a rise in migrant boat incidents in recent years. In June 2023, hundreds of migrants died when an overcrowded vessel sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece, which became one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest maritime disasters. There were at least 209 Pakistanis on board the ill-fated vessel. Similar tragedies occurred earlier in April 2023 off Libya’s western coast, and in February 2023, when a wooden boat crashed on the southern Italian coast, killing 59, including several Pakistanis.
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