Nine people suspected of human trafficking are to be tried in a Greek court on charges of steering a fishing boat that sank off the coast of Greece last week and hundreds of refugees disappeared and died in one of the worst boat disasters in the Mediterranean. .

Nine people suspected of human trafficking are to be tried in a Greek court on charges of steering a fishing boat that sank off the coast of Greece last week and hundreds of refugees disappeared and died in one of the worst boat disasters in the Mediterranean. .

Greek authorities said 78 people and 104 others – mostly from Syria and Afghanistan – were killed after an overcrowded boat capsized about 80 kilometers from the southern Greek town of Pylos early Wednesday, days after leaving Libya. Egypt and Pakistan – lost their lives. It was brought to the shores of Italy.

More than 500 people are said to be missing, including many children.

After it was revealed that dozens of Pakistanis were among the ship’s passengers, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered an immediate crackdown on human traffickers, saying they would be severely punished.

Sharif also declared public mourning in Pakistan on Monday. He had previously said that the Pakistani embassy in Athens identified 12 Pakistani citizens who were rescued by the coast guard. There is no official information on the exact number of Pakistanis, but according to reports, more than 200 Pakistanis were present on this plane.

Greek authorities have been criticized for failing to act more quickly. They say the boat’s occupants said they did not need help, but NGOs say they have received a number of calls for help.

Meanwhile, the police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir announced on Sunday that they had arrested 10 people allegedly involved in sending young people from the country to Libya to travel to Europe. Officials said nine people were arrested in Kashmir and one in Gujarat, a city that has long been a springboard for migrants.

The International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement that the ship was believed to have between 400 and 750 people on board.

German Immigration Minister Nancy Pfizer traveled to Tunisia with her French counterpart on Sunday evening to discuss immigration regulations and measures to prevent deaths on dangerous Mediterranean routes. Tunisia, which borders Libya – where the shipwreck left – is the main platform in North Africa for people trying to reach Europe.

“We want to create legal immigration pathways to end the inhumane trade of smugglers,” Pfizer’s office said.