More than 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned after their boat capsized off West Africa's Atlantic coast, a key jumping off point for migrants heading to Europe, PTI reported.
The tragedy came a day after a similar incident near Morocco left at least 50 people dead, including several Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the ill-fated ship was carrying around 80 Pakistanis and other nationalities when it capsized on January 2 as it approached the coast of Morocco's disputed Western Sahara region. said.
President Asif Ali Zardari today expressed grief over the deaths and stressed the need for strict measures to curb human trafficking.
Mr Zardari's comments in a statement late Thursday came after Walking Borders reported that 44 people had died in the Moroccan accident.
Regarding the incident, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Pakistan Embassy in Morocco was in constant contact with local authorities to assist in rescue operations.
Almost all the Pakistanis on the boat were from cities in eastern Punjab province. Officials said some of the survivors were now in contact with their families, and relatives had gathered at the victims' homes.
Pakistan, Asian countries shaken by human trafficking
Millions of people migrate to Europe every year, the vast majority using legal and formal means. According to the European Union's border agency Frontex, fewer than 240,000 people crossed into the continent without documents last year.
As authorities seek to stop migrants and smuggling from Mediterranean countries, more dangerous routes are increasingly being used. Frontex reported that more than 50,000 migrants traveled from northwest Africa to Spain's Canary Islands in 2024, including 178 Pakistanis.
Walking Borders said in a report last week that 9,757 people had died or gone missing while attempting to cross to the islands, calling the route “the world's deadliest route”.
