ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday released the names of 47 Pakistanis who were rescued following the tragic boat capsizing incident near Greece.
The list was compiled based on interviews conducted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Athens and information provided by Greek authorities.
The names on the list include Umer Farooq, Muhammad Ahmad Shahzad, Mohsan Riaz, Talha, Raja Sajid, Raja Omar Nasir, Mehtab Rafaqat, Amir Habib, Muhammad Safdar, Nayyab Ahmed, Nadeem Ahmed, Umair Ahsan, Muhammad Bilal, Rahat Dilawar, Manzar Ali, Ahmed Mukhtar, Haroon Asghar, Muzamil Hussain, Jamshaid Ali, Jaffar Iqbal, Muhammad Majid, Muhammad Salman, Qasim Ali, Muhammad Abdullah, Osama Ali, Husnain Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Hammad, Hassan Ali, Bilal Hussain, Sarmad Akbar, Usman Ahmad, Shoaib Mushtaq, Abdul Hanan, Ali Hamza, Fahad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Abdul Latif Rehman, Salman Khalid, Harmain Ali, Zain Ali, Usama Basharat, Mirza Kamran, Muhammad Waqas Syfyan Zulfiqar, Tahir Raza, Shahroz Ali, and Shahzeel Ahmad.
Earlier, a Foreign Office Spokesperson stated that, according to initial reports, a total of 47 Pakistanis were among those rescued following the boat incident near the island of Gavdos in southern Greece. “One Pakistani is confirmed to be among the dead. At this stage, we are unable to confirm the number of deceased or missing Pakistani nationals,” the spokesperson said in a press release.
The boat capsized on December 14 while carrying migrants, killing at least five people. Witnesses reported that the majority of the passengers on the boat were from Pakistan. Search and rescue operations were immediately launched by the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Coast Guard of Chania, which were directly handling the incident.
The Embassy of Pakistan in Athens remained in contact with both Greek authorities and the Hellenic Coast Guard to assist in the search and provide any necessary support to the rescued individuals. Embassy officials also arrived on the island of Crete to meet the rescued Pakistanis and offer them assistance.
The Pakistani government is continuing to monitor the situation closely. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing assistance to the victims and their families, ensuring that the necessary steps are taken to assist the affected nationals.
Families of the missing Pakistanis are urged to contact the Embassy of Pakistan to provide details at the following number: +30-6943850188.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted the dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe through illegal means.
In response, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari have expressed their condolences, urging swift measures to address human trafficking and prevent such tragedies in the future.
