Tragedy struck off the West African coast this week as over 40 Pakistani migrants are feared dead after their boat capsized near Dakhla, a Moroccan-controlled port city in Western Sahara. The vessel, which had set sail from Mauritania earlier this month, carried around 80 passengers, including 66 Pakistanis, according to reports.
Moroccan authorities rescued 36 survivors from the capsized boat, but the fate of the remaining passengers remains grim. The migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates that around 50 individuals may have drowned in the accident.
The Pakistani embassy in Morocco confirmed the incident, stating that several Pakistani nationals who survived are currently sheltered in a camp near Dakhla. A team has been dispatched to provide support and assistance to the survivors, while Pakistan’s Crisis Management Unit has been activated to address the situation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and called for strict action against those responsible for the human trafficking that led to the tragedy. The incident highlights the persistent dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross into Europe through hazardous sea routes.
This is not the first time Pakistani nationals have faced such perilous journeys. In December last year, a boat carrying over 200 migrants sank near Greece’s Gavdos Island, resulting in the deaths of five Pakistanis and leaving 35 others presumed dead. In 2023, another similar tragedy claimed the lives of 262 Pakistani migrants in the same region.
The repeated loss of life shows the urgent need for international cooperation to stop human trafficking and provide safer migration pathways.