At least four young Pakistani men tragically suffocated while attempting to migrate to Spain via a boat journey from Mauritania. One of the victims, identified as Abu Huraira from Jinnah Colony, Wazirabad, had left home two months ago without informing his family of his plans to reach Europe.
The other three men aboard remain unidentified. Reports indicate that the victims were hidden in the boat’s cargo compartment to avoid detection, which led to their suffocation due to a lack of ventilation.
Abu Huraira’s family received the heartbreaking news from the agent who arranged the voyage, who explained that the men were concealed among the cargo. Recognized through images shared on social media, Abu Huraira was married just two years ago, and his funeral prayers in absentia have already been held in a local park in Wazirabad.
Efforts are ongoing to gather more information about the identities of the other three deceased men and their families.
This incident follows another tragedy on August 26, when at least 13 people lost their lives and 14 went missing after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Yemen, highlighting the dangers of perilous migration routes. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the vessel had departed from Djibouti with 25 Ethiopian migrants and two Yemeni nationals. As search operations continue, the cause of the shipwreck remains unclear.