The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed on Tuesday that at least 16 Pakistanis were among the dead after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank near the coast of Libya while 10 are still unaccounted for.
The Foreign Office (FO), in a statement, said that a team from the Embassy of Pakistan in Tripoli visited Zawiya city and after meeting local officials and the Zawiya hospital administration, gathered information.
“According to unconfirmed reports there were 63 Pakistanis on the boat and so far 16 bodies have been recovered and their Pakistani nationalities established based on their passports,” it said.
“There are 37 survivors including one in hospital and 33 in police custody. Reportedly, around 10 Pakistanis are missing in the accident. Three of the survivors are in Tripoli and being looked after by the Embassy,” the statement added.
The FO also listed details of the dead bodies so far identified as Pakistani nationals, with all of them hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“The Embassy in Tripoli is in the process of gathering further information and maintaining contact with the local authorities,” it concluded.
The confirmation comes a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said a vessel carrying around 65 passengers capsized near the port of Marsa Dela, northwest of Zawiya City, Libya.
