Pakistani survivors recount horrors of Morocco boat tragedy

The Pakistani survivors of the Morocco boat tragedy have made shocking revelations about the incident in their preliminary statement, ARY News reported, citing sources.

According to sources, a four-member Pakistani investigative committee is currently in Morocco to probe the tragedy which reportedly claimed the lives of 44 Pakistani nationals.

The committee recorded the statements of the Pakistani nationals who survived the Morocco boat tragedy, sources said.

In their statement, the Pakistani nationals termed the incident a ‘mass killing,’ claiming that the human traffickers stopped the journey in open waters and demanded ransoms from those onboard.

According to survivors, as many as 21 Pakistani nationals were allowed to leave in the boat after they paid the ransom to the human traffickers.

The Pakistani nationals alleged that most of the victims lost their lives due to severe cold and torture while the boat also lacked sufficient stocks of food supplies and drinking water.

Meanwhile, sources said that the boat was operated by the international human trafficking racket which includes traffickers from Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.

It is worth noting here that the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 21 Pakistani nationals survived the Morocco boat tragedy.

The Foreign Office said that the boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, capsised near the Moroccan port of Dakhla.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders said that 44 of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan.

Later, the federal government formed the four-member committee to investigate the allegations of violence and murder against Pakistani citizens.