Rana Sanaullah remarked in the National Assembly that based on the information that has been received thus far, more than 300 individuals had died, surpassing the amount of fatalities brought on by any single act of terrorism in the nation.
There have been no official estimates of the number of Pakistanis on the boat since the tragedy on June 14, but Reuters reported on Thursday that the death toll was 209.
According to Mr. Sanaullah, the boat could hold 400 people, but when it drowned, its engine failed around 80 kilometres from the southern Greek port of Pylos. Among the 104 survivors, just 12 were Pakistanis.
The accident was not only one of the worst tragedies at the Mediterranean Sea, such large numbers of casualties were not even caused by a terror attack in the recent past, he said.
The identification of the recovered dead bodies was only possible through DNA-matching for which samples of the victims’ parents and children were collected to identify them through the National Database and Registration Authority and forensic laboratories.
The minister said special desks have been established to contact the affected families. “So far 281 families have contacted the authorities and expressed the apprehension that their loved one might have been on board.”
He added 193 DNA samples have been collected and the bodies of Pakistani victims will be brought back after the identification process.
In order to enter Europe illegally, almost all Pakistanis first travel to Egypt, Libya, or the United Arab Emirates on valid visas. “These three routes are the ones that human smugglers prefer to use.”
The minister said, “We are looking at how young people between the ages of 18 and 22 who have no business in those countries are able to easily secure visas which allow them to travel in groups.” The problem was brought up with these nations to ensure that visa requirements were met.
