Pakistan collects DNA samples to identify victims of Greek shipwreck

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistani authorities collected the DNA samples of relatives to identify the victims who lost their lives in the tragic boat accident off the coast of Greece on June 14.

The country observed a mourning day on Monday as hundreds of Pakistanis were reportedly among those who died or went missing in the tragedy.

“A government team visited our area and collected samples of 28 families on Monday,” Raja Zafar Iqbal, a resident of Kotli district of Azad Kashmir, told Anadolu over the phone.

Iqbal, who lost two nephews in the incident, said his family is in shock.

On Wednesday, authorities briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the latest development and said they have arrested at least 15 suspected smugglers and agents so far.

Sharif was informed that there were around 700 people on board, including Pakistanis, Syrians, and Libyans, according to a statement by the premier’s office.

The statement said: “104 people have been rescued alive, out of which 12 are from Pakistan. So far, a total of 79 bodies have been pulled out of the sea.”

On Tuesday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also spoke with his Greece counterpart and discussed the identification and repatriation of retrieved bodies.

- ‘Smugglers got $7,669 per head from victims’

According to Iqbal, his nephews paid Rs22,00,000 ($7,669) each to a local agent who first took them to Karachi, and later to Dubai, Egypt, and then Libya.

“We have identified the agent and local authorities have already arrested him but we could not bring my nephews back,” Iqbal said.

“I request the government to please take action and save others,” he added

According to Iqbal, Gujranwala city in the Punjab province is the main hub of smugglers who send people to Europe illegally after taking huge money.

Sharif directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to complete the detailed investigation as soon as possible and to take effective measures to prevent human smuggling.