Pakistan says 16 nationals died in migrant boat sinking near Libya, 10 others still missing

ISLAMABAD (AP) — At least 16 Pakistani nationals died and 10 others are still unaccounted for after a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants sank at the weekend off the coast of Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement said 33 of the 37 survivors were in the custody of police and one was being treated at a hospital.

“Reportedly, around 10 Pakistanis are missing in the accident,” the ministry said, adding that three of the survivors were in Tripoli and being looked after by the Pakistani embassy.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his deep grief and sorrow for those lost in the capsizing in the Marsa Dela port, in the western city of Zawiya.

The Libyan Red Crescent had earlier said its teams recovered 10 bodies and the coast guard was searching for others. Pakistan says an estimated 65 people were on the boat, and efforts were underway to ascertain information about affected Pakistanis.

Sharif ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete the process of identifying the victims as soon as possible and to provide all possible assistance to the affected people. He also ordered action against those “involved in heinous acts like human trafficking,” according to a statement.

In January, authorities said dozens of Pakistanis died when a boat capsized off West Africa. Some of the survivors later accused smugglers of killing 43 migrants in a dispute over payment. Pakistan has since so far confirmed the deaths of 13 of its nationals after conducting tests. The fate of those unaccounted for remains unknown, though relatives have called on the government to locate those missing with help from Morocco.

Hundreds of Pakistanis die every year while trying to reach Europe by land and sea with the help of human smugglers. They also use dangerous land and sea routes to reach Europe in an effort to find good jobs.

Libya, which has borders with six nations and a long shore on the Mediterranean, was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Since then, the oil-rich country has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and seeking better lives in Europe.

At least 674 migrants were reported dead and more than 1,000 missing off Libya in 2024, according to the International Organization for Migration’s missing migrants project. More than 21,700 migrants were intercepted and returned to the chaos-stricken country.

In 2023, the IOM reported 962 migrants dead and 1,563 missing off Libya. Around 17,200 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya that year, it said.

Those who are returned are held in government-run detention centers rife with abuses, including forced labor, beatings, rapes and torture — practices that amount to crimes against humanity, according to U.N.-commissioned investigators. The abuse often accompanies attempts to extort money from the families of the imprisoned migrants before releasing them or allowing them to leave Libya on traffickers’ boats to Europe.

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Associated Press writer Sam Magdy reported from Cairo.

By MUNIR AHMED and SAM MAGDY
Associated Press