Pakistan declares day of mourning for residents who died in Greece shipwreck | World News

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday declared a nationwide day of mourning for residents who died when the fishing trawler full of migrants they'd been in sank off the Greek coast.

As many as 750 males, ladies and youngsters from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan had been on board the vessel, making an attempt to realize members of the family in Europe. The Greek coast guard has defended its response to the tragedy that left higher than 500 migrants presumed drowned. The vessel sank on Wednesday.

Sharif expressed his grief over the tragedy and talked about Monday may very well be observed as a day of mourning, with the nationwide flag flying at half-staff.

He beforehand talked about that Pakistan’s embassy in Athens has acknowledged 12 nationals who had been rescued by the coast guard. There was no official data on what variety of Pakistanis had been onboard the vessel, what variety of survived or what variety of perished.

Greek authorities have been criticized for his or her failure to behave further shortly. They're saying the migrants insisted they didn’t need any help, nevertheless non-governmental organizations say they obtained quite a few requires help. The sinking was one among many worst disasters of its sort this yr.

Within the meantime, police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir talked about Sunday they arrested 12 of us involved in sending native youths to Libya for the onward journey to Europe.

Senior officer Khalid Chauhan talked about police picked up the suspects amid a crackdown on human traffickers. Police are interrogating them for his or her alleged roles in luring, trapping and sending locals abroad after extracting huge portions of money from them.

Spherical 28 of us from the Koi Ratta area inside the district of Kotli have gone to Libya for onward journey to Europe, police talked about. Native official Chaudhry Haq Nawaz talked about there was nonetheless no affirmation on what variety of youthful males from the realm had been onboard the ill-fated boat, or what variety of are among the many many ineffective or missing.

He talked about efforts are underway to collect members of the family’ DNA and the check out outcomes will most likely be despatched to Greece to help set up victims.

Of us have been offering their assist to members of the family of those presumed to have been on the boat.

Raja Sakundar, of Bindian village in Kotli, talked about his 4 nephews aged 18 to 36 keep missing.

“We had been educated by the media (of the tragedy). When children is not going to be found or die, you’ll be capable of understand what a mum or dad goes by the use of,” he talked about.

Raja Muhammad Majeed requested the Pakistani authorities to hold once more his nephew, Raja Awais.

“If he’s ineffective, carry once more (the) physique,” he talked about. “After we bury him proper right here, his mother, sisters and others can go to his grave and provide prayers. We are going to most likely be affected individual.”