MORE than 40 Pakistanis are feared dead after a boat capsized off west Africa’s Atlantic coast, it was revealed today.

The region has become a significant departure point for migrants aiming to reach Europe.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and stressed the need for strict measures to curb human trafficking.

Pakistan said that its embassy in Morocco was informed that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including Pakistanis, departed from Mauritania and capsized near Dakhla, a Moroccan-controlled port city in the disputed Western Sahara.

It comes after Spain-based migrant rights group Walking Borders said that 50 people had died on their way to the Canary Islands, including 44 Pakistanis.

The group said that the migrants began their journey on January 2.

Survivors are being housed in a camp near Dakhla and embassy officials are working with local authorities to assist them.

Most of the Pakistani passengers were from Punjab province.

In Daska, families of the victims recounted how they had sold property and paid millions of rupees to human traffickers to send their loved ones to Europe for better work opportunities.

The mother of one possible survivor, Arslan Ahmed, said she had heard from the relatives of some of the survivors that her son was alive but was still unable to contact him.

The journey from west Africa to the Canary Islands has become “the deadliest in the world,” according to Walking Borders, which reported that 9,757 people died or went missing attempting the crossing in 2024.

European Union border agency Frontex said that more than 50,000 migrants made the journey last year, including 178 Pakistanis.

Despite the islands being roughly 65 miles from Africa’s closest point, many migrants take longer routes to evade security forces.

Most journeys begin in Mauritania, at least 473 miles from the nearest Canary Island, El Hierro.

Migrants are increasingly facing higher risks due to stricter measures in the Mediterranean, pushing smugglers to use more dangerous routes.

Hundreds of Pakistanis die annually attempting to reach Europe via land and sea.

In 2023, one of the deadliest incidents occurred when an overcrowded fishing boat sank off Greece, killing many of the estimated 350 Pakistanis on board.

Pakistan has pledged to intensify its crackdown on human trafficking in response.