Former Pakistani hockey player Shahida Raza dies in Italian shipwreck

The vessel had set sail from Turkiye 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, with bodies, shoes, and debris washing up along a long stretch of shoreline, reports   Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

The deceased Pakistani national was also a part of Pakistan’s national soccer team in the past.

Her close friend, Sumaiya, told CNN that Raza was traveling to Europe illegally in the hope of securing a better future for her three-year-old son with a medical condition. Her family says her son was not on the boat.

“We only want her body back, nothing more,” Sumaiya said. “We have no knowledge of where her body is. No one is giving us any information or telling us what to do.”

 At least two Pakistani nationals were killed and 17 others rescued in a tragic incident of a shipwreck off the coast of southern Italy, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Two of those onboard are still missing, spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at Thursday's weekly press briefing.

"Our Embassy in Rome remains actively engaged with the Italian authorities for the welfare of the survivors and transportation of the mortal remains of the deceased," Baloch added.

Over 64 refugees were killed in the incident which took place on February 24.

The ship reportedly carried more than 100 refugees, mainly from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, when it began experiencing difficulties.