Pakistani girl Sabika Sheikh's funeral prayer offered in Houston

An overflow crowd of hundreds of people attended the funeral in Texas of Sabika Sheikh, the Pakistani exchange student killed in the May 18 mass shooting at a high school.

The funeral service, scheduled by the Pakistani Consulate in Houston at Sugar Land's Masjid Sabireen, was separate from the one to be held in the teenage student's hometown of Karachi, which her family, friends, and relatives will attend.

Among the mourners was the late teen’s first cousin who lives in the United States. She said Sheikh’s relatives are completely devastated.

GEO said Hundreds of people, including grief-stricken families of southwestern Texas, gathered to join the funeral, including officials of the Pakistani Consulate in Houston, local members of the United States Congress, members of the Pakistani diaspora and students of Santa Fe High School.

According to RFE/RL, she had been staying with a host family in the Santa Fe area. Her host father, Jason Cogburn, said Sabika and his family learned from each other, and his family even fasted with her during Ramadan.

"We loved her and she loved us," he said. "She will be very missed, but she will always be loved."

This is #SabikaSheikh's host family at her funeral. pic.twitter.com/FKGp6Lus4I

— Gil Gredinger (@photog72) May 20, 2018

Sheikh had been due to return home in mere weeks, in time for Eidul Fitr. “It’s a shock, it’s so sad,” said realtor Ike Samad, 67, who was born in Pakistan but has lived here most of his adult life and raised his children as Americans, according to Express Tribune.

“I came here just like her, as a student,” he recalled. “God forbid that could have happened to me when I was here. As a parent, it is just devastating.”

The body was originally slated for arrival in Karachi early Tuesday morning via a foreign airline, but bad weather conditions have forced a delay of two hours at the Houston airport. The deceased's cousin Shaheera is accompanying the body.