44 Pakistanis feared drowned en route to Spain

Over 40 Pakistanis are feared dead after a boat carrying 80 migrants, attempting to reach Spain, capsized near Morocco, according to officials.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders on Thursday said 50 migrants may have drowned. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people a day earlier from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. Forty-four of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.

“They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them,” she said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office in a statement on Thursday night said its embassy in Morocco was in touch with the local authorities. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar instructed the relevant government agencies to extend all possible facilitation to the affected Pakistanis.