Of 350 Pakistanis on migrant boat that sank off Greece, many may have died, official says

File photo/Internet

Pakistan Friday said that an estimated 350 Pakistanis were on board an overcrowded fishing boat carrying migrants that sank off Greece last week.

The country's interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said that many remain missing and may have died in one of the deadliest incidents in the central Mediterranean Sea.

Khan told lawmakers in the National Assembly that an estimated 700 migrants were on the boat when it sank June 14. Only 104 people, including 12 Pakistanis, were rescued and 82 bodies have been recovered.

Khan said many of the missing Pakistanis are feared dead. "So far, 281 families have contacted the government saying their sons or dear ones might have been among those who were on the boat," he said.

Also read: Maha: Govt approves upgradation of nine deputy regional transport offices

Khan's comments shocked the lawmakers, who appeared distressed as he spoke. It was the first time that a senior official has reported that so many Pakistani citizens are missing since the boat sinking.

Officials are currently collecting DNA samples from people who say their relatives were on the vessel to help in the identification of the bodies. (AP)