Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed deep grief over the death of four Pakistani nationals in a boat capsule the incident at the Harawa Coast near Sirte City in eastern Libya.

The tragic incident took place on April 12 near the Harawa Coast, close to the city of Sirte, which reported in official communication sent by the embassy to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. Rescue teams have so far regained 11 bodies from the sea.

A team from the Pakistani Embassy visited Sirte and confirmed the identity of the four deceased Pakistanis using national identification documents. According to the report, three of the deceased came from Mandi Bahauddin while from Gujranwala.

In a message shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account today, the Prime Minister wrote: “Deeply sadness of reports from our mission in Tripoli about yet another boat capsination event … where at least four Pakistanis have been confirmed dead out of 11 injuries.”

He added that Pakistan’s mission in Tripoli and the Foreign Office is actively working with Libyan authorities to recover the remains and ensure proper coordination with the victims’ families.

PM also confirmed its government’s decision to crack down on human traffickers responsible for jeopardizing Pakistani citizens.

“We take strong action against those responsible for luring our citizens to this death trap. We will continue to get down on such elements so that no family should carry the chests of their loved ones in such accidents,” he said.