Details about last week’s Mediterranean sinking continue to emerge. It has now been revealed that only 12 of the escapees are Pakistanis and the Pakistani police have already arrested 14 people in connection with migrant smuggling.
Last week, the sinking of a fishing boat carrying hundreds of migrants shocked Europe. Of the hundreds of people on board, only 78 bodies have been recovered, and the UN migration agency said it was the second-worst migrant shipwreck on record.
Over time, details – some of them gruesome – began to emerge about the crossing that began in Libya and ended in the Mediterranean. The latest information shows that Pakistani nationals are more likely than all other nationalities to be forced to board the ship without permission.
According to an investigation by The Guardian newspaperWhile the women and children on the boat were held captive, the Pakistanis were also kept in the most dangerous part of the boat to protect them from the men on board.
The newspaper quoted witnesses as saying that when the Pakistanis tried to climb on deck in search of fresh air or water, they were mistreated by the crew.
Only 12 survived
Reports of the number of people on board vary, but hundreds are missing. On Sunday, Pakistan Senate President Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani announced that more than 300 Pakistanis had drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, sending condolences to the families of those killed.
According to the country’s foreign ministry, only 12 of the survivors were Pakistanis.
Reuters quoted Pakistani police as saying on Monday that 14 people had been arrested in connection with human trafficking.
“We are looking for more suspects,” regional police officer Tahir Mahmood Qureshi said, adding that some had already been identified and police were conducting raids to arrest them.
The news agency reported that the Pakistani government has ordered an investigation into human trafficking gangs believed to be involved in the crash.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones,” a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said.
In Greece, nine hijackers suspected of steering a boat that sank in the Mediterranean are expected to appear in court soon. Advances The Guardian.
The authorities’ version has been questioned
On Friday, the Greek coast guard said it had responded to a sunken ship off the country’s southern coast, adding that it and private vessels had repeatedly offered to help the ship on Wednesday, but had been rebuffed.
however, A BBC News investigation questions the coastguard’s version. According to the newspaper, while the Greek coast guard said the boat was on its way to Italy and did not need help, an analysis of the movements of other vessels in the same navigation area – the trawler had no tracking device – showed the fishing boat remained in place for seven hours before capsizing.
Using data from alarm phones, marine traffic and reports from owners of vessels crossing lanes by trawlers, BBC News created a timeline of when the call to the complaint came in between 12:17 p.m. The boat was in danger and at 23:00, when the boat sank, the ship did not move from its place.
At around 15:00, the Lucky Sailor turned sharply north, and speaking to the BBC, the owner said the Coast Guard had asked him to approach the migrant boat and provide them with food and water. Half an hour later, a Coast Guard helicopter located the tugboat, but it continued to say that its face was stable, despite the movement of other vessels saying the ship had been stationary for several hours.
Two hours later, another ship – the Faithful Warrior – approached the tugboat to deliver food to the migrants. It was from this ship that a video was shot of migrants being given supplies by rope. Video verified by the BBC shows the ship docked.
Between 19:40 and 22:40, Greek officials said the boat maintained a steady course and speed and was sighted at a reasonable distance. However, a photo they released later showed the boat stopped.
According to the BBC, within seven hours, all maritime activity was concentrated in the same area, with officials insisting the ship was safe and on its way to Italy.
But around 23:00 the boat capsized and sank with hundreds of people on board.
According to witnesses, there were between 400 and 750 people on board the fishing boat that sank about 80 kilometers off the town of Pylos in southern Greece. Most of those on board were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. So far, Greek authorities have recovered 78 bodies and 104 survivors.
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