At least 209 Pakistani nationals are presumed to be among the fatalities from the boat wreck off Greece last week, according to Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), as reported by Al Jazeera yesterday. (22 June) 

Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the ill-fated boat, but FIA estimates that at least 181 people from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir were among the victims. The vessel had reportedly departed from Tobruk, Libya and was attempting to make its way to Italy when it ran into trouble.

The death toll may, however, be significantly higher than official figures; based on information FIA collected from families of missing passengers known to have boarded the boat, many others remain missing. As of 20 June, about 82 bodies had been recovered and more than 500 were still reported missing in one of the worst migrant sea disasters recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Meanwhile, Pakistani government officials have reportedly gathered DNA samples from 201 families in an effort to help Greece identify those who have died, while FIA said that 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested over the case. 

On Monday (19 June) Pakistan observed a day of mourning after the boat disaster. 

Read more: Greece shipwreck survivors were 'abandoned for 10 minutes'

Serious accusations against Greek authorities 

Statements gathered from some of the 104 survivors of the recent shipwreck off Greece highlight serious accusations of negligence against the Greek Coast Guard. 

In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called for "urgent and decisive action" to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean and emphasized "the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay."

Pakistan's economic meltdown 

Currently, Pakistanis are the third highest nationality registered in Italy coming from Libya, following after Egyptians and Bangladeshis, as reported by Reuters. 

Of the estimated number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year through May, 4,971 were from Pakistan -- the highest in a single year according to data from the EU's border control agency, Frontex. Reports indicate that the increasing number of Pakistanis attempting the perilous sea journey to Europe is linked to the country's serious economic crisis.

A series of unfortunate events appear to have contributed to Pakistan's economic meltdown, marked by a record-high inflation rate of 38%, a depreciating currency, external deficit and the effects of global warming.

While still reeling from the global economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating monsoon floods ravaged Pakistan last year, submerging a third of the country. 

The World Bank estimates that the flooding dragged around 9 million people into deeper poverty. At least $16 billion was reported as needed for Pakistan's rehabilitation and reconstruction. 

Even before last week's boat wreck off the Greek coast, many Pakistanis were recorded to have been among those who already had perished in the Mediterranean Sea this year. 

Muhammad Nadeem, 38, a salesman from the eastern city of Gujrat, was aboard a boat that sank off Libya's coast in February, during which at least another 70 people also were killed. The fathertof-three was the financial pillar of his family.

Kosar Bibi, Nadeem’s mother, told Al Jazeera that her son had paid someone he knew to arrange the trip to Italy, via Libya, in hopes finding of better financial opportunities to benefit the entire family. 

Top source of migrant labor 

In 2020, the International Labour Organization ranked Pakistan as the top source of migrant labor in the region and reported that "overseas migrant workers are the most valuable asset of Pakistan."

Official data from the previous year indicates that about 830,000 Pakistanis are currently registered as overseas workers -- the highest level since 2016. 

Official unemployment data has not been published in Pakistan in two years but Hafeez Pasha, a former finance minister, told Al Jazeera that the jobless rate was at a record "11 - 12%," adding that this was a "conservative" estimate. 

According to the Migrant Resource Center, an EU-funded organization that provides information and counseling to migrants, smugglers take advantage of people's desperation in such trying economic time, selling the crossing across the Mediterranean as a quick fix solution out of poverty.