A total of 50 migrants may have drowned in the latest deadly wreck involving people trying to make the crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, Migrant rights group Walking Borders said.
It maintained Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people a day ago from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, on board.
Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X 44 of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan.
“They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them,” she said.
The FO press release said the Pakistani embassy in Rabat had informed the ministry about the incident.
“Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla. Our embassy of Rabat is in touch with local authorities. Additionally, a team from the embassy has been dispatched to Dakhla to facilitate the Pakistani nationals and provide necessary assistance.”
The FO said its Crisis Management Unit was activated and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar instructed government agencies to extend all possible facilitation to the affected Pakistanis.
It said the CMU could be contacted at (051-9207887) or (cmu1@mofa.gov.pk) while Acting Ambassador Rabia Kasuri and Consular Assistant Noman Ali at the Rabat embassy could be contacted at (+212 689 52 23 65) and (+92 310 2204672), respectively, on WhatsApp.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, “No negligence of any kind will be tolerated in this regard. Strong steps are being taken against human trafficking.”
The prime minister has sought a report on the incident from authorities and said strict action would be taken against those involved in the heinous act of human trafficking.
A statement issued by the PPP said President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief on the deaths of over 40 Pakistanis and stressed the need for effective and far-reaching measures to prevent human trafficking.
Asked about what warnings it had received from NGOs regarding a missing boat, Spain’s maritime rescue service said it had learned on Jan 10 about a vessel that had left Nouakchott in Mauritania and was experiencing problems but it could not confirm if it was the same boat.
Walking Borders said it had alerted authorities from all countries involved six days ago about the missing boat. Alarm Phone, an NGO that provides an emergency phone line for migrants lost at sea, also said it had alerted Spain’s maritime rescue service on Jan 12 about a boat in distress.
