90 migrants, mostly Pakistanis, believed dead in shipwreck off Libya

[MenInG]

GENEVA: An estimated 90 migrants are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya after a smuggler’s boat capsised early on Friday, leaving three known survivors and 10 bodies washed up on shore, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

Survivors told aid workers that most of the migrants on board were Pakistanis, who form a growing group heading to Italy, IOM spokesperson Olivia Headon, speaking from Tunis, told a Geneva news briefing.

“They have given an estimate of 90 who drowned during the capsise, but we still have to verify the exact number of people who lost their lives during the tragedy,” she said.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/162476...pakistanis-believed-dead-shipwreck-off-libya/

 

[shortbread]

Migrant boat capsizes: 90 feared dead off coast of Libya

Most of those feared dead are Pakistani, three survivors tell UN migration agency.

Ninety people are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya after a smuggler’s migrant boat capsized, the UN’s migration agency and its partner agencies are reporting.

Three survivors told the International Organisation for Migration that most of those feared dead were Pakistani nationals, though this has not been verified.

Olivia Headon, an IOM spokeswoman, said 10 bodies had washed ashore near the Libyan town of Zuwara. Eight were believed to be Pakistani, and two Libyan.

An increasing share of those attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Italy and Europe via Libya are Pakistani, she said.

Read this now, lives lost in one of the worst ways possible.

There is a common misconception in the west that these are people fleeing persecution, but they are simply economic migrants who for some reason choose the worst possible route to migrate abroad. Many of them pay thousands of dollars to smugglers, so not exactly the poor and starving.

I feel worst for the children who are clueless and suffering in this horrid dangerous journey.

There must be some sort of awareness campaign run by the home countries and perhaps educate them of the dangers as well as legal ways where one can relocate abroad. I do not think people fully aware of the dangers will be ready to put their families through such suffering.

 

[carbon11]

Inna lillahi wa inna alayhi rajioon

Inshallah they are all shaheed

 

[shortbread]

 

[Gabbar Singh]

A terrible and shocking incident. I don’t blame such people for taking the steps they do to try and better their lives but, and it’s a big but imo, for every Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Indian etc turning up to Europe and then falsely claiming asylum it makes things more difficult for genuine asylum seekers who are fleeing war and persecution.

 

[Syed1]

Inna lillahi wa inna illahi raji'oon

 

[Yossarian]

Read this now, lives lost in one of the worst ways possible.

There is a common misconception in the west that these are people fleeing persecution, but they are simply economic migrants who for some reason choose the worst possible route to migrate abroad. Many of them pay thousands of dollars to smugglers, so not exactly the poor and starving.

I feel worst for the children who are clueless and suffering in this horrid dangerous journey.

There must be some sort of awareness campaign run by the home countries and perhaps educate them of the dangers as well as legal ways where one can relocate abroad. I do not think people fully aware of the dangers will be ready to put their families through such suffering.

I guarantee that there are many on this forum who know, either directly or via friends and acquaintances, illegal immigrants, where they live, where they work, and perhaps even how they arrived. - And willing to condone this illegality. Often at the expense of genuine asylum seekers running to escape persecution and find safety.

Couple that with the fact that the majority of the public back home only hears about the illegals 'who made it', ie those who start sending remittances back home, and hears nothing about those who lost their their lives en-route, or the hardships they suffer getting there.

Taken all together, no amount of 'awareness program' is going to do anything. The modern equivalent of "Dick Whittington and London Streets paved with gold" view still holds and still acts as a magnet for many in 3rd world countries.

 

[shortbread]

I guarantee that there are many on this forum who know, either directly or via friends and acquaintances, illegal immigrants, where they live, where they work, and perhaps even how they arrived. - And willing to condone this illegality. Often at the expense of genuine asylum seekers running to escape persecution and find safety.

Couple that with the fact that the majority of the public back home only hears about the illegals 'who made it', ie those who start sending remittances back home, and hears nothing about those who lost their their lives en-route, or the hardships they suffer getting there.

Taken all together, no amount of 'awareness program' is going to do anything. The modern equivalent of "Dick Whittington and London Streets paved with gold" view still holds and still acts as a magnet for many in 3rd world countries.

That cannot be the attitude. These are 90 lives gone without even getting a proper burial. Had this been a terror related incident or an accident the hue and cry followed by focus from the authorities.

This can be prevented. The gullible should be informed of the perils and the criminals who profit from this enterprise locked away. This is a tragedy but what would be worse is if the suffering of these souls went away without ever being heard or noticed.

 

[Yossarian]

That cannot be the attitude. These are 90 lives gone without even getting a proper burial. Had this been a terror related incident or an accident the hue and cry followed by focus from the authorities.

This can be prevented. The gullible should be informed of the perils and the criminals who profit from this enterprise locked away. This is a tragedy but what would be worse is if the suffering of these souls went away without ever being heard or noticed.

Whilst any loss of life is tragic and regrettable, the fact of the matter is that illegal (economic) immigrants paying agents and middlemen $1000's to try to get to the West are not just putting their own lives in danger (with all that it entails for their families back home when tragedy strikes), but they are also denying the genuine asylum seekers escaping persecution, torture and death, from being given asylum since it becomes difficult for the authorities to tell the difference between the two.

Rooting out and deporting all these illegals, whether they entered the country illegally or whether they've overstayed their visa and gone underground, would be a positive step for all those who are in the country legally as well as those genuine asylum seekers escaping persecution. Do that and it will go a long way towards stemming the flow of illegals taking chances with their lives on the open seas. And we won't have tragedies such as this - at least not on such a large scale.