Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his deep concern over the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy and took notice of the incident, directing Foreign Office to ascertain the facts as soon as possible, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As the death toll rose to 60 including 28 Pakistan, the prime minister in a tweet uploaded on Monday, said he has directed the Foreign Office to ascertain the facts as early as possible and take the nation into confidence.

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1630062365449363457

As many as 60 migrants, including 28 Pakistanis, died after their overloaded boat sank early Sunday in stormy seas off Italy’s southern Calabria region, officials said.

According to the Pakistani embassy in Rome — the capital of Italy — besides others, 40 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat. The mission also said that the bodies of 28 Pakistanis have been fished out of the sea by the rescue officials. However, 12 more citizens are still missing.

The Pakistani officials further said that they are in contact with the Italian authorities, volunteers and maritime agencies in this regard. The embassy added that it is also in touch with the Pakistani community in the Calabria region and providing them with the latest information about the sad incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “We are closely following the reports about possible presence of Pakistanis in the vessel that has capsized off the coast of Italy.”

Taking to Twitter, she said that the Pakistani embassy in Rome is in the process of ascertaining facts from the Italian authorities.

https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1629885377736589314

Earlier, the coastguard service said, "43 bodies" had been found along the coast and "80 people recovered alive, including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking".

The vessel had set sail from Turkey several days ago with migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and several other countries, and crashed in stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.

Sanjrani condoles migrant boat deaths

Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has expressed his grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives
including women and children in a migrant boat wreck in Italy
In a condolence message, he termed the accident as a major tragedy and urged better coordination between law enforcement agencies and platforms established for the prevention of human trafficking
for controlling such incidents.
He stressed the need to exchange of information which would be more effective.
He said there was a need to clamp down on those who put innocent lives at risk by showing them dreams of a bright future through illegal means.
He said that in this difficult time, the Parliament and the people of Pakistan share the grief of the families of those who died in the boat accident in Italy.
Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, Chairman prayed to Allah Almighty to raise the ranks of the deceased, speedy recovery of the injured and give patience to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.

Reporter Mohsinul Mulk