10 bodies of drowned Afghans arrive in Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The bodies of 10 Afghans, who drowned last week in the Mediterranean Sea near Istanbul, arrived on Saturday at the Kabul International Airport, an official said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesman Ahmad Shakib Mustaghni said the government was trying to search for bodies of another 11 Afghan nationals who had been missing since their boat sunk on Nov 4.

The 10 bodies were released to their relatives soon after arriving at the airport, said Mustaghni, who was present on the occasion.

He said 42 Afghans were on the boat when it capsized while heading to Romania in an attempt to seek illegal immigration.

The spokesman added the boat drowned due to a large number of passengers on board.

Istanbul-based Consul General Malik Quraishi had told Pajhwok Afghan News President Ashraf Ghani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Zarar Ahmad Osmani had instructed  them to dispatch the corpses as soon as possible at the expense of the government.

Only six people were rescued alive, with 23 bodies recovered and 13 still missing. On receiving the information, the consulate met two of the rescued individuals who were in stable condition, Quraishi said.

nh/ma

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