At least five Pakistanis are feared dead in a shipwreck near Alshab port in Tripolitania, off the coast of Libya. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that around 60 refugees and migrants are also believed to be missing and may have drowned at sea following two separate shipwrecks, with six survivors rescued.

Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at IOM, stated, “With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors.” He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and all those affected.

On June 12, 21 individuals were reported missing after a shipwreck near Alshab port, with only five survivors found. Among those feared dead are six Eritreans (including three women and three children), five Pakistanis, four Egyptians, and two Sudanese men, while the identities of four others remain unknown.

The IOM noted that a second tragedy occurred on June 13, approximately 35 kilometers west of Tobruk, where a sole survivor was rescued by fishermen.

This survivor reported that 39 people were lost at sea. In the following days, three bodies washed ashore: two on Umm Aqiqih beach on June 14 and one on Elramla beach in downtown Tobruk on June 15. Identification efforts are ongoing with assistance from members of the Sudanese community.

So far in 2025, at least 743 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route. Earlier this year, on April 12, four Pakistani nationals died in a boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City in eastern Libya.

In response to the ongoing crisis, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to launch an all-out war against the human trafficking networks operating with alarming impunity, promising decisive action to dismantle these operations.