BREAKING: More than 300 Pakistanis drowned in the Greece boat tragedy

Colombo (News 1st) - More than 300 Pakistanis drowned when a trawler packed with about 750 people bound illegally for Europe sank off Greece on June 14, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman of the Pakistan Senate, said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we pray that the departed souls find eternal peace. This devastating incident underscores the urgent need to address and condemn the abhorrent act of illegal human trafficking,” Sanjrani said.

The tragedy comes at a time when Pakistan is undergoing enormous economic hardship and many are fleeing the country in any way they can.

Pakistan has declared Monday as a national day of mourning and Pakistani police have arrested 10 Pakistani members of a human smuggling ring believed to have been responsible for sending the doomed people to Europe.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on Sunday: “I assure the nation that those found negligent towards their duty will be held to account. Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry and heads will roll.”

The United Nations International Organization for Migration said about 750 people were on board, of whom at least 500 are missing.

Greek authorities have not yet confirmed the death toll. The Greek coast guard has come under heavy criticism for failing to respond for many hours despite distress calls from the trawler, before it went down. The coast guard had directed two passing cargo ships to deliver food and water to the doomed vessel, which they did. It is not clear why the passengers were not transferred to these two ships or other nearby vessels in the busy shipping lane between Greece and Italy.

Alarm Phone, an international hotline for migrants in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, has said it received a distress call eleven hours before the trawler sank and informed Greek authorities.