ISLAMABAD : At least 350 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, Pakistan’s Interior Minister said on Friday, promising to arrest and prosecute the human smugglers responsible.
The fishing boat with a capacity of 400 people had over 700 people on board when it sank on June 14, Rana Sanaullah told the country’s parliament, adding that a total of 281 Pakistani families had contacted the government to seek help.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told lawmakers in the National Assembly that an estimated 700 migrants were on the boat when it sank June 14. Only 104 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were rescued and 82 bodies have been recovered.
Khan said many of the missing Pakistanis are feared dead. “So far, 281 families have contacted the government saying their sons or dear ones might have been among those who were on the boat,” he said.
Khan’s comments shocked the lawmakers, who appeared distressed as he spoke. It was the first time that a senior official has reported that so many Pakistani citizens are missing since the boat sinking. Officials are currently collecting DNA samples from people who say their relatives were on the vessel to help in the identification of the bodies.
