The identification process for 13 bodies recovered from the Morocco boat tragedy has been completed, with all victims confirmed to be Pakistani nationals, diplomatic sources said.
According to officials, the identification process has been finalized, and a list of the deceased has been released. The identified victims include:
Sufyan Ali (son of Javed Iqbal) – Passport No. VF1812352
Sajjad Ali (son of Muhammad Nawaz) – Passport No. XX1836111
Rais Afzal (son of Muhammad Afzal) – Passport No. MJ1516091
Qasnain Haider (son of Muhammad Banaras) – Passport No. AA6421773
Muhammad Waqas (son of Sanaullah) – Passport No. DJ6315471
Muhammad Akram (son of Ghulam Rasool) – Passport No. DN0151754
Muhammad Arsalan Khan (son of Ramzan Khan) – Passport No. LM4153261
Hamid Shabbir (son of Ghulam Shabbir) – Passport No. CZ5133683
Qaiser Iqbal (son of Muhammad Iqbal) – Passport No. GR1331413
Danish Rehman (son of Muhammad Nawaz) – Passport No. SE9154371
Muhammad Sajawal (son of Rahim Deen) – Passport No. AY5593661
Shehzad Ahmed (son of Wilayat Hussain) – Passport No. GN1162802
Ehtesham (son of Tariq Mehmood) – Passport No. CE1170122
According to sources at the Pakistani Embassy in Morocco, initial reports on January 15 indicated that 44 Pakistanis had died in the boat accident. However, local authorities were able to recover only 13 bodies from the scene.
The Pakistani embassy in Morocco collaborated with local officials to help identify the victims. Fingerprint records and photographs were shared with NADRA, which confirmed the identities. After the verification process, official lists of the victims were compiled and made public.
The tragic boat accident off Morocco’s coast, which took place after departing from Mauritania on January 2, resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people. The boat was carrying 86 migrants, 66 of whom were reported to be Pakistani nationals. Moroccan authorities managed to rescue 36 individuals from the wreckage.
In response to the disaster, the Pakistani government has expressed strong disapproval, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructing authorities to take severe action against human traffickers and officials involved in illegal migration. This comes amid growing concern over the rising number of boat capsizing incidents involving Pakistani migrants.
Earlier this month, former FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaque Jehangir dismissed 35 officials who were found guilty of aiding human smuggling and neglecting their duties.
Meanwhile, eight survivors of the boat disaster, aged between 21 and 41, arrived at Islamabad Airport earlier today on Qatar Airways flight QR614. They are currently being interrogated by Pakistani officials. The survivors—Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Adeel, Irfan Ahmed, Arsalan Shamil, Ghulam Mustafa, Badram Muhiuddin, Mujahid Ali, and Tasbeeh Ahmed Shamil—returned to Pakistan after the incident.
These survivors come from various districts, including two from Sheikhupura, two from Sialkot, two from Mandi Bahauddin, and one each from Gujarat and Jhelum. Additionally, seven other survivors returned to Pakistan last night, with three from Gujarat and one each from Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot.
