At least four Pakistanis among 11 dead as migrant vessel sinks off Libyan coast: FO

A migrant dives into the water from an overloaded wooden boat during a rescue operation 10.5 miles (16 km) off the coast of Libya, August 6, 2015. — Reuters

Migrant vessel sank near Libya’s Harawa coast, killing 11 people.
Four Pakistanis from Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin among dead.
Pakistan’s embassy’s Crisis Management Unit monitoring situation.

ISLAMABAD: A vessel carrying foreign nationals sank near the Harawa coast of Sirte in eastern Libya, the Foreign Office said on Monday, confirming that four Pakistani nationals were among the 11 bodies recovered.

“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.”