Greece boat tragedy victim laid to rest
A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
A young man belonging to Kalla Syedan who died in the migrant boat tragedy off the coast of Greece was buried in his ancestral village of Khas Meera Singal on Monday.
Saqib Shabbir was one of the estimated 750 illegal migrants on a fishing trawler that started its journey from Libya to Italy but capsized in the open sea off the coast of Greece.
Shabbir is survived by his wife and three young daughters.
His body was returned to Pakistan on Sunday night and handed over to the family after completion of medico-legal formalities.
The brother of the victim received the body at the New Islamabad Airport.
The body was first transported from Athens to Doha, from where it arrived in the federal capital.
Perilous journeys A total of 104 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were said to be rescued alive.
Rescuers had found at least 82 bodies, with the rest either missing or presumed dead.
According to reports, there were at least 300 Pakistanis on board the ill-fated boat.
So far, 15 victims have been identified as Pakistanis based on DNA samples.
In order to identify the victims, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) obtained DNA samples from the families of 223 missing youths and sent them to their counterparts in Greece to match them to the victims.
Since the incident, the agency has continued a nationwide crackdown.
In the northern region alone, the FIA has arrested 69 human traffickers and registered 184 cases at its Islamabad, Faisalabad and Lahore zones.
The Lahore Anti-Human Trafficking Circle has filed 11 cases, the Gujarat Circle has 115 cases, and Gujranwala has registered 47 cases.
Islamabad and Faisalabad zones have registered eight cases each.