The identification process for 13 organs recovered from the Morocco boat tragedy has been completed where all victims are confirmed to be Pakistani citizens, diplomatic sources say.
According to officials, the identification process has been completed and a list of the deceased has been released. The identified victims include:
Sufyan Ali (Son of Javed Iqbal) – Passport No. VF1812352
Sajjad Ali (Son of Muhammad Nawaz) – Passport No. XX1836111
Rais Afzal (Son of Muhammad Afzal) – Passport No. MJ1516091
Qasnain Haider (Son of Muhammad Banaras) – Passport No. AA6421773
Muhammad Waqas (Son of Sanaullah) – Passport No. DJ6315471
Muhammad Akram (Son of Ghulam Rasool) – Passport No. DN0151754
Muhammad Arsalan Khan (Son of Ramzan Khan) – Passport No. LM4153261
Hamid Shabbir (Son of Ghulam Shabbir) – Passport No. CZ5133683
Qaiser Iqbal (Son of Muhammad Iqbal) – Passport No. Gr1331413
Danish Rehman (Son of Muhammad Nawaz) – Passport No. SE9154371
Muhammad Sajawal (Son of Rahim Deen) – Passport No. Ay5593661
Shehzad Ahmed (Son of Wilayat Hussain) – Passport No. GN1162802
Ehtesham (Son of Tariq Mehmood) – Passport No. CE1170122
According to sources at the Pakistani Embassy in Morocco, the first reports on January 15 suggested that 44 Pakistanis had died in the boat accident. However, local authorities recovered only 13 bodies from the stage.
The Pakistani Embassy in Morocco cooperated with local officials to facilitate the identification process. Fingerprint data and photographs were shared with Nadra confirming the victims’ identity. Once the confirmation was completed, official lists were prepared and released.
A tragic boat accident off the Morocco coast that took place after departure from Mauritania on January 2nd claimed life for at least 50 people. The bad vessel transported 86 migrants, with Moroccan authorities reporting that 66 of the passengers were Pakistani citizens. After the incident, 36 people were rescued by Moroccan authorities.
In the wake of the tragedy, strong reactions have arisen from the Pakistani government, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructs authorities to take strict action against human traffickers and officials involved in facilitating illegal migration. This follows the growing concern about the increasing number of boat capsification events involving Pakistani migrants.
Earlier this month, former FIA Head of Director Ahmed Ishaque Jehangir removed 35 officials for their commitment to facilitating human smuggling and failing to perform their tasks effectively.
Meanwhile, eight survivors from the boat accident between 21 and 41 years of years to Islamabad Airport arrived earlier today aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR614. They are currently being questioned by Pakistani officials. The survivors – Muhammad afzal, Muhammad Adeel, Irfan Ahmed, Arsalan Shaam, Ghulam Mustafa, Badram Muhiuddin, Mujahid Ali and Tasbeeh Ahmed Shamil – were turned to Pakistan after that tragedy.
The survivors are from different districts, including two from Sheikhupura, two from Sialkot, two from Mandi Bahauddin and one from Gujarat and Jhelum. Seven other Pakistanis who survived the boat event returned to Pakistan last night, with three from Gujarat and one from Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot.
