According to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, the sinking of a crowded migrant boat off the coast of Greece may be “the worst tragedy ever” in the Mediterranean Sea.
The boat collapsed off the coast of Greece earlier this week, killing dozens of passengers and leaving hundreds more unaccounted for while it was sailing from the Libyan coastal city of Tobruk to Italy. The disaster’s exact cost has not yet been determined.
The tragedy has brought attention to the EU refugee issue, in which tens of thousands of refugees attempt perilous journeys to Europe each year to escape conflict, persecution, climate change, and poverty.
Johansson denounced the function of the smugglers, who loaded passengers onto the boats. “They are not being sent to Europe; rather, they are being sent to their deaths. They are doing this, and it must be stopped immediately,” she stated.
source: REUTERS/File photo
Authorities in Pakistan reported that they detained 14 suspects in relation to the alleged trafficking of migrants, and police reported that they were looking for other suspects as more than 300 Pakistani nationals have been killed.
In a statement from the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani government has mandated a high-level investigation into the suspected human trafficking network.
Based on a police investigation, one of detainees admitted to sending three men onto the boat, which could hold 300–350 people, and charging each of them up to three million Pakistani rupees ($10,452.96).
Police officer Riaz Mughal stated the initial investigations led to the conclusion that 800 individuals were on board.
“The boat was transporting between 750 and 800 passengers,” Mughal told Reuters. “We learned from two survivors, the arrested suspects, and the bereaved families.“
Between 400 and 750 individuals, according to eyewitness testimonies, were on board, and according to Greek police, 104 survivors and 78 bodies have been brought ashore. One of the suspects detained in Pakistan said his own son went missing after being on the boat.
A smuggling network that included Libya, Pakistan, and Greece was also believed to have its headquarters in Libya, according to the report.
Mughal claimed that at least 21 of those who perished last week were from the Kotli area in the Himalayan Kashmir region, which is managed by Pakistan, and from which people have long been traveling to Europe.
