FO confirms at least four Pakistanis among 11 dead in Libya boat tragedy

ISLAMABAD: A boat carrying foreign migrants capsized off the Harawa shoreline near Sirte in eastern Libya, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Monday, confirming that four of the 11 recovered bodies were identified as Pakistani nationals.

“Our mission in Tripoli has reported that a vessel carrying foreign nationals has sunk near the Harawa coast, Sirte city (Eastern Libya),” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

“A Pakistan embassy team’s visit to Sirte has confirmed the recovery of 11 bodies of migrants. Of these, four have been identified as Pakistani nationals based on their national documents. Two bodies remain unidentified.”

The identified Pakistani victims include Zahid Mehmood from Gujranwala and Sameer Ali, Syed Ali Hussain, and Asif Ali — all from Mandi Bahauddin.

“The Embassy in Tripoli is actively working to gather more information about the affected Pakistani nationals and is in contact with the local authorities,” the statement added.

“The Crisis Management Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been activated to monitor the situation.”