Fifteen human traffickers, including a key suspect, have been arrested in Pakistan concerning a Greece boat tragedy.

This happened when scores of Pakistanis were killed, and many went missing along with people from other countries, the prime minister’s office said.

The Greek authorities retrieved the bodies of 79 refugees after a fishing boat carrying an unknown number of passengers sank 47 nautical miles off Pylos town, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

In a high-level meeting called by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday, the attendants were informed that 10 cases have also been lodged in different parts of the country against the human traffickers.

Mr Sharif directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan to supervise the investigation process and formulate recommendations for necessary legislation to prevent human trafficking.

The prime minister also instructed government departments to take concrete steps to stop human trafficking in Pakistan and ensure such incidents do not happen again.

The Federal Investigation Authority of Pakistan has obtained DNA samples from 126 families whose relatives were on the capsized boat and are still missing. 

(Xinhua/NAN)