Five dead as boat carrying Pakistanis, other migrants capsizes near Greek Island

At least five migrants have drowned after their wooden boat capsized off Greece’s southern island of Gavdos on Friday night, the Greek coastguard said on Saturday.

Among those rescued, 39 men — the majority of whom are believed to be from Pakistan — have been saved by cargo vessels operating in the area. They have since been transferred to the island of Crete.

Witnesses reported that many others remain missing, and search efforts continue. Greek authorities have been conducting a large-scale rescue operation, involving coastguard boats, merchant vessels, an Italian frigate, and naval aircraft. However, the exact number of those still unaccounted for has not been confirmed.

Ongoing Search and Separate Rescues

In separate incidents on Saturday, additional migrant boats were rescued in the surrounding waters. A Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 people some 40 nautical miles from Gavdos, while a tanker saved another 88 migrants about 28 nautical miles from the island.

According to initial information, coastguard officials believe the boats left together from Libya, a common departure point for migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

Interior Minister takes notice of migrant boat tragedy

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken notice of the tragic boat capsizing incident near Greece's southern island, which involved several illegal migrants attempting to reach Europe, including some from Pakistan.

Minister Naqvi, expressing his concern over the incident, directed that a thorough investigation be conducted. Following his orders, an inquiry committee has been formed under the leadership of Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Rafat Mukhtar Raja.

The committee has been tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report to the Interior Minister within five days.

Minister Naqvi strongly condemned human trafficking, calling it an "intolerable crime" that has destroyed many families.

He urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take nationwide, unbiased action against the trafficking mafias involved in these illegal activities.

Rising Death Toll in Mediterranean

The tragic incident underscores the growing danger faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe via Greece, a route that has seen a sharp increase in such shipwrecks in recent months.

Greece was a primary gateway for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia during the 2015-2016 migration crisis, when nearly one million people arrived by sea.

Shipwrecks around Crete and nearby Gavdos, two relatively isolated islands in the central Mediterranean, have become more frequent over the past year. The island of Gavdos, in particular, has witnessed several incidents of migrant boats capsizing.

This latest disaster follows another deadly incident in June 2023, when hundreds of migrants drowned after an overcrowded boat sank off the coast of Pylos, in southwestern Greece. That incident remains one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean in recent years.

International Concern Over Migrant Safety

As search efforts continue, the Greek government has once again called for increased international cooperation to tackle the migrant crisis.

Humanitarian organisations have long warned of the dangers of overcrowded and poorly equipped vessels making the perilous journey from Libya to Europe. Despite these warnings, the number of migrant deaths at sea continues to rise.

In the wake of these incidents, there has been renewed pressure on European Union countries to do more to address the safety of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and to provide better support for countries like Greece, which continue to bear the brunt of the migration crisis.