Islamabad, Feb 28 (IANS): Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a probe into the network of traffickers responsible for sending Pakistani migrants abroad who died after their boat capsized off the coast in southern Italy.
In addition, the death toll from the incident increased to 62 on Monday with the majority of victims feared to be Pakistanis, Dawn reported.
In a statement on Monday, FIA said teams have been formed to investigate the matter and arrest the traffickers who had illegally sent the victims.
The agency has also started contacting heirs of the deceased, most of whom hailed from Punjab's Gujrat district.
As the death toll increased to 62 on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said a senior embassy official has met with 16 Pakistani survivors.
"They seemed in good physical condition. According to them there were 20 Pakistanis on the ship," the spokesperson said in a tweet.
"(The) embassy is in close contact with Italian authorities to verify the status of four missing Pakistanis."
Local authorities said 80 people survived the disaster, but between 180 to 200 people were believed to have boarded the vessel when it left from Turkey, suggesting many more passengers may have perished or be missing, Dawn reported.
The shipwreck has stoked a debate on migration in Europe and Italy, where the recently elected right-wing government's tough new laws for migrant rescue charities have drawn criticism from the UN and others.
"These tragedies are the result of the tragic collateral damages of Italian and European policies, protecting borders and reducing safe and regular passage to Europe," said Marco Bertotto, director of programmes for MSF in Italy.