ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned in the capsizing of a boat off West Africa's Atlantic coastline, which has emerged as a primary point of departure 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.

The Pakistani government has launched an extensive crackdown on human traffickers, though hundreds of Pakistanis continue to perish annually while attempting to reach Europe. In 2023, an overcrowded boat carrying Pakistani migrants sank off Greece, killing an estimated 350 people in one of the deadliest incidents in the Mediterranean Sea.

Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people from the boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, on board.

A tragic incident involving migrants attempting to reach Spain from West Africa may have claimed the lives of up to 50 people, including 44 Pakistanis, according to the migrant rights group Walking Borders.

More than 40 Pakistanis are feared drowned after a migrant boat capsized off West Africa, highlighting the dangers of human trafficking.

The tragedy comes just a day after a similar incident near Morocco killed at least 50 people, including several Pakistanis.