Greece migrant boat disaster: Pakistan to hold day of mourning after hundreds die in tragedy

Published

2 years ago

June 19, 2023

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Pakistan’s prime minister has declared a national day of mourning for those who died when a fishing trawler packed with people sank off the coast of Greece.

Up to 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan were on board the vessel trying to reach Europe.

More than 500 people are presumed to have drowned when the vessel sank on Wednesday.

Local media has reported that at least 298 Pakistanis died, 135 from the Pakistani side of Kashmir.

To date 104 survivors have been rescued and 78 bodies have been recovered.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that 12 Pakistanis were among the survivors. A total from 310 people were on board.

No survivors or bodies have been found since the day of the accident.

Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Monday will be observed as a day of mourning with the national flag flying at half-mast.

There was no official information on how many Pakistanis were onboard the vessel or how many died.

Mr Sharif has also ordered a “high-level inquiry” to “ascertain facts in the wake of the tragic incident”.

He added that “law enforcement agencies have been tasked to tighten the noose around the individuals involved in the heinous act of human smuggling”.

“I have also directed Pakistan Foreign Office to undertake immediate coordination at all levels to collect information about the missing people and keep the nation updated,” he added.

“I assure the nation that those found negligent towards their duty will be held to account. Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry and heads will roll.”

Meanwhile, families in the village of Bindian in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir are still in limbo about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

‘Bring back the body’

Raja Sakundar said his four nephews aged 18 to 36 remained missing.

He said: “We were informed by the media (of the tragedy). When children are not found or die, you can understand what a parent goes through. What is happening to us? We have no information whether they are alive or dead.”

Raja Muhammad Majeed asked the Pakistani government to bring back his nephew, Raja Awais.

“If he is dead, bring back (the) body,” he said.

“When we bury him here, his mother, sisters and others can go to his grave and offer prayers. We will be patient.”

The Greek coastguard has defended its response to the tragedy after it was criticised for failing to act more quickly.

They said the migrants insisted they did not need any help, but non-governmental organisations said they received a number of calls for assistance.

Meanwhile, police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said on Sunday that they had arrested 12 people involved in sending local youths to Libya for the onward journey to Europe.

Senior officer Khalid Chauhan said police had picked up the suspects in a crackdown on human traffickers.

Police were interrogating them for their alleged roles in luring, trapping and sending locals abroad after extracting huge amounts of money from them.

Around 28 people from the Koi Ratta area in the district of Kotli had gone to Libya for onward travel to Europe, police said.

Local official Chaudhry Haq Nawaz said there was still no confirmation on how many young men from the area were onboard the ill-fated boat, or how many were among the dead or missing.

He said efforts were under way to collect relatives’ DNA and the test results would be sent to Greece to help identify victims.

People have been offering their support to relatives of those presumed to have been on the boat.

World

Donald Trump sending ‘top of the line’ weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Published

17 hours ago

July 15, 2025

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Donald Trump sending 'top of the line' weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

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It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “very good conversation” with Mr Trump late on Monday. He thanked him for the “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings”.

Weapons being sent from to Ukraine include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which the country has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Vladimir Putin’s “desire to drag [the war] out”, and said Kyiv was “working on major defence agreements with America”.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump over Mr Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call”, but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, where they “discussed the path to peace” by “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe”.

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

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Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine – as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2025

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Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine - as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States,” he added, “going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Follow the latest here

Weapons being sent include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which Ukraine has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump against Vladimir Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call,” but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

World

At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

Published

2 days ago

July 14, 2025

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At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

At least 30 people have been killed in the Syrian city of Sweida in clashes between local military groups and tribes, according to Syria’s interior ministry.

Officials say initial figures suggest around 100 people have also been injured in the city, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups.

The interior ministry said its forces will directly intervene to resolve the conflict, which the Reuters news agency said involved fighting between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes.

It marks the latest episode of sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minority groups have increased since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.

The violence reportedly erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida.

Last April, Sunni militia clashed with armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, and fighting later spread to another district near the capital.

But this is the first time the fighting has been reported inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports the fighting was centred in the Maqwas neighbourhood east of Sweida and villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.

It adds that Syria’s Ministry of Defence has deployed military convoys to the area.

Western nations, including the US and UK, have been increasingly moving towards normalising relations with Syria.

Concerns among minority groups have intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.

That was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.

The city of Sweida is in southern Syria, about 24 miles (38km) north of the border with Jordan.