ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 47 people crashed Wednesday on a domestic flight from Chitral to Islamabad, aviation authorities said.
\nAll the passengers on board the passenger jet are feared dead. Military said 21 bodies were retrieved from the debris of the plane and being Shifted to Ayub Medical Complex, where a special cell has been set up. An aviation official said it was too early to say anything about the cause of the crash, but it probably occurred due to engine failure.
\nThe Islamabad bound flight PK-661 took off at 3:30 pm from Chitral and went missing near Abbottabad before the pilots lost control over the aircraft and contact with control tower around 4:22 pm . A thick cloud of smoke was also seen billowing from the area where the aircraft came down.
\nFormer famous Pakistani singer Junaid Jamshed and wife Nahya, were also among the passengers on the ill fated plane. According to family members, he was in Chitral on a preaching tour. 31 men, nine women and two children were on board the flight, including at least three foreigners, according to local media reports.
\nCivil and military rescue teams were dispatched to the area to find the whereabouts of the aircraft which was being flown by Captain Saleh Janjua and co-pilot Ahmed Janjua.
\n“We regret to inform that PIA\u2019s ATR-42 aircraft operating as PK-661, carrying around 40 passengers lost its contact with control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago,” PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said.
\nPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan have directed the concerned federal departments to immediately initiate rescue efforts and help provincial government, said a statement.
\nPakistan\u00b4s last major air disaster was in 2015 when a Pakistani 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.
\nThe deadliest crash was in 2010, when an Airbus 321 operated by private airline Airblue and flying from Karachi crashed into hills outside Islamabad while about to land, killing all 152 on board.<\/p>\n
Passenger list of crashed PIA flight PK-661<\/strong><\/p>\n Abid Qaiser <\/p>\n Junaid Jamshed & DC Chitral died in plan crash<\/strong><\/p>\n ISLAMABAD :Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane heading to Islamabad from Chitral crashed after it lost communication with the control tower, reported . President, PM & Imran express sorrow over aircraft crash<\/strong><\/p>\n Islamabad: President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in aircraft crash incident near Havelian. Jhagra expresses heartfelt condolence over Plane crash & Kyber agency accident<\/strong><\/p>\n PESHAWAR(PR):The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Eng. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has expressed his heartfelt condolence over the loss of precious lives in Plane crash at havelain and a road accident at TD Bazar Shah Zaman Kelay in Khyber Agency. ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 47 people crashed Wednesday on a domestic flight from Chitral to Islamabad, aviation authorities said. All the passengers on board the passenger jet are feared dead. Military said 21 bodies were retrieved from the debris of the plane and being Shifted to Ayub Medical Complex, where a special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13],"class_list":{"0":"post-7624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-pk661"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nAhsan SS
\nAhtiram ul Haq
\nAisha
\nAkbar Ali
\nAkhtar Mehmood
\nAmir Shoukat
\nAmna Ahmed
\nMaahrukh Ahmed
\nAsim Waqas
\nAteeq Muhammad
\nFarah Naz
\nFarhat Aziz
\nGohar Ali
\nGul Norani
\nHaji Nawaz
\nHan Qiang
\nHarald Kessler
\nHassan Ali
\nHerwig Eichelbenger
\nJunaid Nahya
\nKhan Junaid Jamshed
\nMehmood Atud
\nMirza Gul
\nFarhan Ali
\nMuhammad Ali Khan
\nMuhammad Khalid Masood
\nMuhammad Khan
\nMuhammad Khawar
\nMuhammad Nouman Shafique
\nMuhammad Takbeer Khan
\nNigar Uddin
\nOsama Ahmed Warraich
\nRani Mehreen
\nSalman Zainulabidin
\nSami SA
\nSamina Gul
\nShamshad Begum
\nTaiba Aziz
\nTaimoor Arshid
\nUmara Khan
\nZahida Perveen<\/p>\n
\nSources confirmed that Junaid Jamshed was also among passengers aboard the ill-fated flight.
\nJunaid Jamshed\u2019s brother confirmed that the former musician and renowned religious personality was accompanied by his family as they were scheduled to reach Islamabad on this flight.
\nMeanwhile, Junaid s friend also confirmed that he was on aboard the PIA flight 661.<\/p>\n
\nThey prayed for the departed souls and expressed condolence with bereaved families and directed the concerned departments to accelerate rescue operation.
\nPrime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has directed all authorities to immediately reach the site and start rescue and relief operations. He has also directed PIA authorities to establish information centres at Chitral and Islamabad airport for the families and all concerned.
\nPTI Chairman has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident. He directed provincial government to immediately carryout rescue and relief work and try its best to safe the precious lives.
\nInterior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has directed NADRA and FIA to send teams to the site for the identification of passengers and providing assistance to administration. On the direction of Interior Minister, air wing helicopters will assist NDMA in rescue and relief operation.
\nAll departments of Interior Ministry have been put on alert. Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi have also expressed grief and sorrow over lost of precious lives in air craft incident. A PIA airliner with 46 passengers and crew on-board was feared to have crashed near Havelian in Abbottabad district this evening.<\/p>\n
\nIn a condolence message on Wednesday, the Governor has directed the concerned authorities to provide Rs.one lac to the real heirs of each deceased.
\nWhile expressing his deep sympathies with members of the bereaved families, the Governor has prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and courage to them to bear the irreparable loss with patience. He has also wished early recovery of the injured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"