New tracking data has raised doubts about the crash of a Greek coastguard migrant ship that is believed to have killed hundreds of Pakistanis, JEE News reports.
An analysis of the movements of other ships in the area showed that the boat remained stationary for at least seven hours before sinking, the British broadcaster said.
Although Greek authorities did not respond to JEE News findings, they insisted the boat was heading for Italy and did not need to be rescued.
The EU border force Frontex said it first spotted the ship around 8GMT and notified Greek authorities.
Alarmphone, an emergency hotline for migrants in distress at sea, said they received a call at 12:17 GMT saying the boat was in trouble.
Authorities in Europe still have no clear estimate of how many people were on board when the boat sank – estimates range from 400 to 700 – but hundreds are likely from Pakistan. , and most were from Azad Kashmir.
On Sunday, Pakistani authorities said 10 suspected human traffickers had been arrested, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed “severe punishment” for those involved in the trade.
Pakistan is suffering from economic crisis. A deep recession fueled by decades of mismanagement and political instability has depleted dollar reserves, fueled inflation and led to mass factory closures.
The desperate situation is encouraging Pakistanis to take dangerous, illegal routes to Europe.
Prime Minister Sharif declared a national day of mourning for those killed – local media say there could have been 300 Pakistanis on board.
