At least 335 Pakistanis have died in boat accidents over the past four years while attempting to reach Europe through illegal migration routes, according to an official FIA document covering seven major shipwrecks since June 2023.
The deadliest incident occurred in June 2023, when a boat heading to Greece carrying 226 Pakistani passengers capsized, killing 207 people. Only 19 passengers survived.
Another boat bound for Greece met a similar fate in December 2024. Of the 69 Pakistanis on board, 25 lost their lives while 44 were rescued.
In January 2025, a boat accident near Morocco claimed the lives of 44 of the 70 Pakistani passengers on board. A month later, in February 2025, a shipwreck off the coast of Libya killed 23 Pakistanis.
Three more major accidents involving boats departing from Libya were recorded in April 2025, October 2025 and April 2026. More than 30 Pakistanis lost their lives in these incidents combined.
Following the repeated tragedies, the government tightened its response to human smuggling, introducing stricter scrutiny and offloading measures at airports and border points.
The crackdown has led to a sharp decline in the number of Pakistanis attempting to migrate illegally by sea.
Figures confirmed by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency show that only 440 Pakistanis attempted this illegal route in January and February 2026, compared to 1224 in the same period in 2025, a drop of 64 percent.
