New Delhi:
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane PK-661with 48 people, including top Nath Khwan and singer Jamshed, his wife and Deputy Commissioner Chitral Osama Warraich, on board crashed in Saddha Batolni village near Pakistan Ordinance Factory, Havelian, while en route to Islamabad from Chitral inKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday.
The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that there are nosurvivors. So far, 36 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. According to PIA Spokesman Daniyal Gilani, there were 42passengers, five crew members and one ground engineer onboard.A senior aviation official said the aircraft sufferedengine problems.
Highlights:
# Reuters quoted Taj Muhammad Khan, a government official in Havelian, as saying 'All of the bodies are burned beyond recognition. The debris is scattered.'
# He said witnesses had told him that the aircraft had crashed into the mountainous area, and was on fire before it hit the ground.
It is believed that there were 31 men, 9 women and two children on board the flight when it crashed.
# The PIA plane with more than 47 passengers on board had gone missing near Abbottabad while it was on its way to Islamabad. Rescue teams are rushing towards the accident site.
List of passengers onboard crashed #PIA plane https://t.co/Vg413ty2Kn pic.twitter.com/Y3Kjr7AOGr
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 7, 2016
# Geo News, citing civil aviation sources, said the plane lost contact with civil aviation authority at around 4.30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT)
# The plane took off from Chitral around 3:00PM (Local Time) but communication with the control tower was broken around 4:30PM (Local Time), shortly before it was about to arrive at its destination.
# The PIA said an emergency response center has been activated and can be accessed at following phone numbers for updates.
# PIA Emergency response center: 0092-21-99044890, 0092-21-99044376, and 0092-21-99044394
# A statement from the PIA confirmed that the plane had gone missing, but did not confirm the crash.
"We regret to inform that PIA's ATR-42 aircraft operating as PK-661, carrying around 40 persons lost its contact with control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago. All resources are being mobilised to locate the aircraft. Media will be kept informed as situation develops," said the PIA.
# Interior Minister Ch Nisar directs all departments concerned, provincial govt to provide immediate rescue services.
# Army troops and army helicopters have been mobilised to a site near Havelian, Inter-Services Public Relations said.
# Quoting eyewitnesses from the area, Geo New said the plane was seen going down in the mountains. Thick cloud of smoke was also seen billowing from the area.
ALSO READ: (Famous Nath Khwan Junaid Jamshed dies in PIA flight PK661 crash in Pakistan)
# Civil and military rescue teams have been dispatched to the area to find the whereabouts of the aircraft which was being flown by Captain Saleh Janjua and co-pilot Ahmed Janjua.
# The pilots gave a mayday (help me) call before disappearing from radar.
# A PIA official confirmed in a statement on Twitter that the aircraft lost its contact with the Control Tower
A PIA aircraft has lost contact with control tower. Plz see statement below. pic.twitter.com/AVcNXFL6E2
— Danyal Gilani (@Danyal_Gilani) December 7, 2016
#PM Nawaz Sharif orders all concerned officials to rush to the site of accident.
#Deputy commissioner #Chitral Usama Ahmad Waraich was also on board the ill-fated flight
The only images released of crashed PIA aircraft. Follow our live updates here: https://t.co/Vg413ty2Kn pic.twitter.com/p0APBY8AOj
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 7, 2016
#Mamnoon Hussain expresses deep grief & sorrow over loss of precious lives in aircraft crash incident near Havelian
#Pak PM Nawaz Sharif directs all authorities to immediately reach site and start rescue , relief operations
#Chaudhry Nisar directs NADRA, FIA to send teams to site for identification of passengers, providing assistance
#On direction of Interior Minister, air wing helicopters will assist NDMA in rescue, relief operation
#Speaker and Dy Speaker NA express grief and sorrow over loss of precious lives in air PK661 craft incident
#The country's last major air disaster was in 2015 when a military helicopter crashed in a remote northern valley, killing eight people including the Norwegian, Philippine and Indonesian envoys and the wives of Malaysian and Indonesian envoys.
#Abid Ali, a senior official of the national disaster andmanagement cell, said rescue work was underway at the crashsite and six helicopters were being used in the operation butit would take time to recover the debris and all bodies as thecrash took place in a mountainous region.
(With Inputs from PTI)
