As the death toll of Italy migrant boat crash climbed up to 62, seniorPakistani embassy officials in Italy met with 16 Pakistani survivors.
Pakistani survivors said 20 Pakistanis in total were on the ship and fourremained missing.
Majority of the victims are feared to be Pakistanis.
Italian administration said three more dead bodies were fished out from thesea. The boat carrying 150-200 migrants to Europe had crashed on rocksnear the southern Italian coast, killing dozens.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a probe intothe network of traffickers responsible for sending Pakistani migrantsabroad.
FIA said teams had been formed to investigate the matter and arrest thetraffickers who had illegally sent the victims.
The agency has also started contacting heirs of the deceased, most of whomhailed from Punjab’s Gujrat district.
The foreign office said that Pakistani embassy in Italy was activelypursuing the case.
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“[The] embassy is in close contact with Italian authorities to verify thestatus of four missing Pakistanis.”
The Italian embassy said that Pakistanis survivors were apparently in goodcondition.
*Italy coastguard comb beaches for bodies*
AFP adds: Italy’s coastguard have searched the sea and beaches for bodiesfollowing a shipwreck off Calabria, as authorities tried to identify thedead and the government’s migrant policy came under scrutiny.
The overloaded wooden boat broke up and sank early Sunday in stormy seasoff Italy’s southern coast, with bodies, shoes and debris washing up alonga long stretch of shoreline.
