At least 59 migrants, including 28 Pakistanis, died after their overloaded boat capsized in stormy seas off Italy, officials said.
"So far, the number of confirmed victims is 59," Vincenzo Voce, mayor of the coastal city of Crotone, told international media.
According to the Pakistani Embassy in Italy, besides others, 40 Pakistanis were on board the ill-fated boat. The embassy said that the bodies of 28 Pakistanis have been recovered from the sea by rescue officials; however, the search for 12 more citizens is underway.
The Pakistani officials further said that they are in contact with the Italian authorities, volunteers, and maritime agencies in this regard.
The embassy added that it is also in touch with the Pakistani community in the Calabria region and is updating them with the latest information about the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, "We are closely following the reports about the possible presence of Pakistanis in the vessel that has capsized off the coast of Italy."
Taking to Twitter, she said that the Pakistani embassy in Rome is in the process of ascertaining facts from the Italian authorities.
Earlier, the coastguard service said "43 bodies" had been found along the coast and "80 people recovered alive, including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking."
The vessel had set sail from Turkey several days ago with migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and several other countries, and crashed in stormy weather near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria.
Cutro's mayor, Antonio Ceraso, said women and children were also among the dead. Exact numbers for how many children had died were not yet available.
Curra said the vessel left Izmir in eastern Turkey three or four days ago, adding that survivors had said some 140 to 150 were on board.
"Many of these migrants came from Afghanistan and Iran, fleeing conditions of great hardship," Italian President Sergio Mattarella said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice on Monday of the capsizing of a boat in Italy that claimed the lives of over two dozen Pakistanis and directed the Foreign Office to ascertain facts at the earliest.
"The reports of the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy are deeply concerning and worrisome," tweeted PM Shehbaz.
He added that he had asked the Foreign Office to ascertain facts at the earliest possible time so the nation could be taken into confidence.