Pakistan Arrests 12 Human Traffickers in Connection with Greek Boat Capsizing

On Monday, June 19, the Pakistani government announced the arrest of 12 suspects involved in human trafficking related to the capsizing of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea. No further details have been released so far. The fishing vessel carrying 750 migrants capsized off the coast of Greece on June 14, just five days after departing from Libya en route to Italy. It is estimated that nearly 300 Pakistani migrants traveling from Libya to Italy may have lost their lives in the incident. Pakistan has confirmed the deaths of only 12 of its citizens in this event, but media in the country reported on Sunday that nearly 300 Pakistanis had perished. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif declared a national day of mourning on Monday in honor of the Pakistanis who lost their lives in this tragedy. Greek officials stated that rescuers saved 104 individuals and recovered the bodies of 78 others. The Greek Coast Guard reported that 30 of the survivors are Egyptian citizens, 10 are Pakistani, 35 are Syrian, and 2 are Palestinian. In recent years, thousands of young Pakistanis have paid human traffickers to take them across the Mediterranean to Europe in search of a better life. However, this dangerous journey often costs them their lives. A Spanish organization rescued a boat carrying 117 refugees in the Mediterranean. The search for the sunken vessel carrying hundreds of refugees continues, with about 80 migrants having died in the waters around Greece.