ISLAMABAD:
At least 335 Pakistanis have lost their lives trying to reach Europe through illegal migration routes since June 2023, and seven deadly migrant boat disasters have claimed hundreds of lives.
According to documents obtained by The Express PAkGazette from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), 467 Pakistanis were on board the seven ships involved in the reported disasters. Of them, 335 died, while 131 survived.
Records show that routes bound for Greece and Libya have caused the most casualties, with ships leaving Libya alone claiming the lives of 71 Pakistanis.
According to the documents, the deadliest tragedy occurred in June 2023, when a ship carrying migrants to Greece sank. A total of 226 Pakistanis were on board, of whom 207 died and only 19 survived.
Another ship carrying migrants to Greece suffered a disaster in December 2024, with 69 Pakistanis on board. The incident claimed the lives of 25 Pakistanis and 44 were rescued.
In January 2025, a ship carrying 70 Pakistanis capsized near Morocco. The documents state that 32 passengers died, while 38 survived.
FIA records show that most of the recent tragedies occurred off the coast of Libya. Since February 2025, four major boat disasters have been reported near Libya, resulting in the deaths of 71 Pakistanis.
In one such incident that occurred in February 2025, authorities identified 40 Pakistani victims. According to the documents, 23 Pakistanis were killed, while 13 survived.
The documents further claim that the boat disasters that occurred in February, April and October 2025, as well as April 2026, affected 102 Pakistanis. In all these Libya-related incidents, 71 Pakistanis lost their lives, while 30 survived.
The latest tragedy occurred in April 2026, when another migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya. The accident claimed the lives of 45 Pakistanis, while 12 others survived.
