Survivors of Morocco boat tragedy to be repatriated: Foreign Office

The Foreign Office on Saturday issued a statement announcing that 22 Pakistanis who survived a migrant vessel capsizing near Morocco will be repatriated.

The FO said on January 16 that the boat, carrying 80 passengers, capsized near Morocco, with over 40 Pakistanis reportedly among the dead.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders said as many as 50 migrants may have drowned in the latest deadly wreck involving people trying to make the crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.

Last Saturday, a high-ranking government team was dispatched to Morocco on the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to assess the situation. The team conducted detailed interviews of the 21 survivors in the Moroccan town of Dakhla, as well as meetings with officials at the Pakistani embassy in Rabat.

According to the FO statement issued today, arrangements are being made for the repatriation of 22 Pakistani survivors staying in Dakhla.

“Following thorough investigations and careful coordination with Moroccan authorities, these individuals will be returned to Pakistan in batches,” the statement read.

The FO added that the embassy in Rabat has been closely working with Moroccan authorities and that the consular team in Dakhla was “instrumental” in planning the return of survivors.

“The Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Unit (CMU) has been actively engaged in monitoring the situation, providing necessary support to the affected individuals, and maintaining active communication with their families,” the FO added.

“National identity verification remained a critical component of this process which was completed expeditiously in coordination with the Interior Ministry and the relevant departments.”

The statement added that the FO is facilitating the repatriation of 11 Pakistanis from Mauritania through a separate process, adding that they have “voluntarily chosen to return home”.