(CNN)Shahida Raza, a football and hockey player who left her native Pakistan to secure medical treatment for her son, was among those killed in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy on Sunday. She was 29.
Also known as "Chinto," Raza was a member of Pakistan's national soccer team and previously played for the national field hockey team.
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 64 people died when a wooden boat carrying migrants from Turkey broke apart on rocks off the coast of Calabria on Sunday, at least two of whom were Pakistani nationals.
On Thursday, a spokesperson from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that 17 Pakistani were rescued and two are still missing.
"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," the spokesperson said.
Medals, shields and certificates from Raza's sporting career are displayed in her family home.