On Wednesday (June 14), an estimated 298 Pakistanis died after a fishing boat carrying illegal immigrants met with an accident about 80 km from the coastal town of Pylos in Greece.
As per reports, the ship was carrying 310 Pakistani nationals along with migrants from other countries. Meanwhile, the Pakistani embassy in Greece has confirmed that 12 of them were successfully rescued.
The local authorities have been able to recover the dead bodies of 78 Pakistanis. Reportedly, 130 illegal immigrants were from the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) region.
The matter came to light after a coast guard vessel rescued 104 victims of the shipwreck and sailed into the city of Kalamata. At this point, it remains unclear as to how many people were aboard the fishing boat.
While speaking about the matter, coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou said, “It was a fishing boat packed with people who refused our assistance because they wanted to go to Italy…We stayed beside it in case it needed our assistance which they had refused.”
According to Greek officials, the illegal immigrants sailed off from Tobruk in Libya, which has become one of the launching points for those planning to enter Europe illegally by sea. Reportedly, Greece has become one of the primary routes for migrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East to enter the European Union.
My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece. Our Embassy in Athens has identified 12 Pakistanis rescued by Hellenic Coast Guard. The Embassy is in contact with…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 17, 2023
In a tweet, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate ferry disaster in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.”
He added, “Our Embassy in Athens has identified 12 Pakistanis rescued by Hellenic Coast Guard. The Embassy is in contact with the Greek authorities for further updates.”
It has now come to light that Pakistani nationals were forced to travel below the deck of the fishing boat, which worsened their chances of survival in the event of a capsize. They were also maltreated by the crew members of the vessel.
Eight Pakistani nationals arrested in Greece for plotting terror attacks
Eight Pakistan nationals have been arrested in Greece for plotting terror attacks, according to unconfirmed reports, Greek City Times reported. The arrests have once again brought the spotlight back on Pakistan which has been the main spreader of jihadist terrorism across the globe.
According to, Greek City Times, Pakistan-origin terrorists have been at the forefront of executing this form of terrorism. In another incident of Pakistan-origin terrorists planning a terror attack on European soil, Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals in March 2023 who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country.
