Pakistani survivors of the Moroccan boat tragedy reveal shocking details regarding the incident. The survivors claimed that it was a premeditated massacre done by human traffickers, revealing the preliminary statements recorded by a four-member Pakistani investigative team.
Human traffickers threw people into the open sea on non-payment. Survivors revealed that they kept the boat stranded in the sea for days, demanding ransom. “Those who paid were released, while those who couldn’t were beaten with hammers and thrown into the sea,” they stated.
Victims claimed that many people on the boat died due to cold, lack of food, and physical assault. “The boat was under the control of an international human trafficking ring, involving smugglers from Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco,” sources said.
Read more: Probe into Moroccan Boat Tragedy: 40+ Pakistanis feared drowned
Following the incident, the federal government has decided to conduct a probe into the Moroccan boat tragedy after more than 40 Pakistanis were feared drowned in another incident of capsizing of a boat.
A four-member delegation has been sent to Morocco to investigate the incident. The boat capsized off West Africa’s Atlantic coastline. This point has emerged as the primary point of departure of immigrants to Europe.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and stressed the need for strict measures to curb human trafficking. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed sorrow over the incident.
Spain-based migrant rights group, Walking Borders, said that 50 people have died on their way to the Canary Islands, 44 of them were Pakistanis. The group says the migrant began their journey on January 2nd. “They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them,” Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a statement stating that a boat carrying 80 passengers including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla.