News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Sunday that it was “closely following” media reports about the possible presence of its citizens abroad on a migrant ship that capsized on the southern coast in Italy early morning.
According to media reports, at least 58 people have died in the mishap. Local officials said that the boat, carrying migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iran, crashed on the rocks close to the coastal town of Crotone in the Calabria region on Sunday morning. The officials said that the ship had left Izmir, Turkey three days ago.
Prime Minister says Italy will block sea crossings
Italian coast guard said that 80 people have been rescued, including some who managed to reach the shore following the sinking.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a statement via Twitter that Islamabad is closely following the reports regarding the possible presence of Pakistanis in the ship that has sank off the coast of Italy.
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According to the UN Missing Migrants Project, over 17,000 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea since 2014. It added that over 220 have died or disappeared in the current year.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep sorrow” over the deaths and blamed human traffickers for the mishap. The Prime Minister vowed they would block migrant sea departures to stop such disasters in the future.
Meanwhile, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said it was must to block sea crossings to stop such tragedies.
