Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the drowning of more than two dozen Pakistanis in a boat accident in Italy on Monday and directed the Foreign Office to “find out the facts” as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that reports of more than two dozen Pakistanis drowning in a boat accident in Italy are extremely alarming and alarming.
He further said that he has asked the Foreign Office to find out the facts as soon as possible so that the nation can be taken into confidence.
The reports of the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy are deeply concerning & worrisome. I have directed Foreign Office to ascertain facts as early as possible & take the nation into confidence.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 27, 2023
A day earlier, at least 59 migrants, including 28 Pakistanis, died when an overloaded boat capsized early Sunday morning in stormy seas off Italy’s southern Calabria region, officials said.
“Until a few minutes ago, the number of confirmed victims was 59,” Vincenzo Vos, mayor of the coastal city of Crotone, told TV channel Sky TG24 on Sunday afternoon.
According to the Pakistani embassy in Italy’s capital, Rome, 40 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat.
The mission also said that rescue authorities have recovered the bodies of 28 Pakistanis from the sea, but 12 more civilians are still missing.
Pakistani officials further said that they are in touch with Italian authorities, volunteers and maritime agencies in this regard.
The embassy added that it is also in touch with the Pakistani community in the Calabria region and is providing them with updated information on the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that we are keeping a close watch on the reports regarding the possible presence of Pakistanis in the ship that sank off the coast of Italy.
On Twitter, he said that the Pakistani embassy in Rome is in the process of finding out the facts from the Italian authorities.
We are closely following the reports about possible presence of Pakistanis in the vessel that has capsized off the coast of Italy. The Embassy of Pakistan in Rome is in the process of ascertaining facts from the Italian authorities.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 26, 2023
Earlier, the Coast Guard Service said, “43 bodies” had been found along the shore and “80 people had been pulled out alive, including some who managed to reach the shore after sinking”.
The ship had left Turkey several days ago with migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries and crashed in stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on Calabria’s east coast.
Guardia di Finanza customs police said one survivor was arrested on charges of migrant smuggling.
The mayor of Cutro, Antonio Serraso, said that the dead included women and children. The exact number of children who died is not yet available.
His voice rising, Ceraso told JEE News that he had seen “a spectacle that you would never want to see in your life… a horrible sight… that will stay with you for the rest of your life.” “.
The wreck of a wooden gilt, a Turkish boat, was spread over a large part of the beach.
Karra said the ship had left Izmir in eastern Turkey three or four days earlier, adding that survivors said there were about 140 to 150 people on board.
“Many of these migrants came from Afghanistan and Iran, fleeing extremely difficult conditions,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella said.
