WEB DESK
ISLAMABAD: Around 50 young individuals from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have gone missing following the tragic overturning of an overloaded fishing boat near Peloponnese in southern Greece, as stated by Commissioner Chaudhry Shaukat Ali of Mirpur. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, claimed the lives of at least 78 people, while approximately 104 survivors were found by Friday. Reports suggest that the ill-fated boat may have carried between 400 and 750 individuals.
According to the commissioner, the missing youth were residents of the Kotli area in AJK, and they had departed from the country three months ago. He mentioned that they were sent by agents from Gujranwala, Gujarat, and Mandi Bahauddin. Efforts are being made to establish contact with the families affected by this tragedy.
In an update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has been confirmed that 12 Pakistanis are among the survivors of the capsized fishing boat. The ministry’s spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that they are currently unable to verify the number and identities of Pakistani nationals who perished in the incident. The Pakistan Mission in Greece is actively cooperating with local authorities to identify and assist the Pakistani survivors and recover the bodies of the deceased.
To facilitate the identification process for the recovered bodies, the spokesperson explained that DNA matching will be carried out with close family members (parents and children only). She urged the families of individuals who may have been aboard the boat to contact Pakistan’s mission in Greece through the provided helpline numbers for verification purposes. Baloch also requested families to share DNA reports from authorized laboratories and passenger identity documents via email.
Greek officials have disclosed that the majority of the individuals on board were from Egypt, Syria, and Pakistan.
