The bodies of six Pakistanis who perished in a migrant boat disaster near Libya, earlier this month, arrived at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport on Thursday, police officials said.
The deceased, identified as Masoor Hussain, Shoaib Ali, Abid Hussain, Shoaib Hussain, Musab Hussain, and Muhammad Ali Shah, were among at least 16 Pakistanis reportedly aboard the ill-fated vessel.
Authorities said a second flight carrying more bodies will arrive on Friday. The next group includes Sirajuddin from Bajaur, Anis from Peshawar and Haider Saqlain, Asif Ali, Anis Khan, Ashfaq Hussain, and Nusrat Hussain from Kurram.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said earlier this month that its embassy in Libya had dispatched a team to Zawiya hospital to assist in identifying victims. The FO’s Crisis Management Unit had been activated to monitor the situation and facilitate inquiries.
The vessel, carrying dozens of passengers, capsized near Marsa Dela port, northwest of Zawiya city. The incident is the latest in a series of migrant boat tragedies near Libya.
Earlier this month, Libyan authorities recovered 29 bodies, including 19 from a mass grave in Jikharra, southeast of Benghazi. Another 10 bodies were retrieved from the sea after a boat sank near Dila port in Zawiya.
Pakistanis have been frequent victims of such disasters. In January, about 40 Pakistanis died in shipwrecks off Greece, with 35 others still missing. Last June, up to 300 Pakistanis were feared dead after an Italy-bound trawler capsized off Greece.
Pakistan’s government has ramped up efforts against human smuggling, with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) dismissing several officials for alleged collusion with traffickers and blacklisting 65 others. FIA also introduced stricter screening at airports, offloading 2,500 passengers at Lahore airport in January alone.
Officials continue to urge Pakistanis to avoid illegal migration routes, warning of the grave dangers posed by human traffickers and perilous sea journeys.
