By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan national hockey team player Shahida Raza, a 27-year-old woman, is among the victims of migrant boat tragedy.
The boat carrying migrants hit rocks and broke up early Sunday in deep seas near the town of Steccato di Cutro on the toe of Italy killing at least 64 people. The wooden sailing boat believed to be carrying refugees smashed into rocks off the coast of Calabria region in Italy.
The Hazara community in Quetta mourns the death of Shahida Raza, also known as Chintoo in sports circles, who drowned in the boat wreck accident while trying to reach Europe in search of a brighter future. Shahida Raza was a key member of the Pakistan Hockey Team for women. She also played departmental hockey and represented Pakistan Railways. Furthermore, Raza was an exceptional football player and represented Balochistan United in women’s football.
200 migrants were aboard ill-fated wooden boat
One Turk and two Pakistanis have been arrested on suspicion of trafficking up to 200 migrants aboard the ill-fated wooden boat, killing at least 64 people, the local police said on Tuesday. According to the reports, at least 30 Pakistanis also died while 17 were rescued after their overloaded boat sank in stormy seas. Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis said two Pakistani nationals and a Turkish man had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the stormy weather and were identified by the survivors as “the main culprits of the tragedy”.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry, in a tweet, also confirmed on Tuesday that two more Pakistanis lost their lives in the boat tragedy. The Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Twitter, “With great sorrow, we can confirm that two Pakistanis have lost their lives in the tragic incident of the boat capsized off the coast of Italy, as identified by their families.”
According to reports, Raza was on board the boat with dreams of a brighter future. However, the boat smashed into a sea cliff causing more than 200 migrants to drown, also including around 40 Pakistanis. Most of the Pakistanis were said to be from Gujrat in Punjab.
Shahida Raza was the mother of an infant girl, but she was not accompanying her at the time of the boat collapse. President Pakistan Hockey Federation Brigadier (r) Khalid Khokhar, Secretary General Syed Haider Hussain, Pakistan Hockey Federation Women Wing Syeda Shehla Raza, Tanzila Amir Cheema, and many others have expressed their grief and sorrow over Raza’s tragic death.
The Hazara community has expressed deep sorrow over the incident. The community leaders have urged the Pakistani government to take measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. The incident has once again highlighted the risks that migrants face while trying to land in Europe in search of a brighter future. Migrants often embark on dangerous journeys, putting their lives at risk in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, with hopes of a better future.
