PIA plane with over 40 passengers on board crashes near Hawelian

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying 47 people crashed near Havelian on Wednesday on its way from Chitral to Islamabad, leaving no survivor. 

The PIA Spokesman Daniyal Gilani said that the PIA flight PK-661 was carrying 42 passengers including 31 men, 9 women, two children and three foreigners. He said that plane had five crew members including Pilot Saleh Yar Janjua, Co-Pilot Ahmed Janjua, Trainee Pilot Aal Akram and two airhostesses Sadaf Farooq and Asma Adil.

Among 42 passengers, the PIA flight was also carrying famous former singer Junaid Jamshed and his wife Nahya who had gone to Chitral for preaching. His brother had confirmed that Junaid Jamshed was in the plane.

Moreover, Deputy Commissioner Chitral Osama Ahmad Warraich was also in PK-661, according Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor Mushtaq Ghani.

Earlier in a twitter message, the PIA Spokesman Daniyal Gilani said 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.

The PIA Spokesman said that all resources were being mobilized to locate the aircraft.

A PIA aircraft has lost contact with control tower. Plz see statement below. pic.twitter.com/AVcNXFL6E2

— Danyal Gilani (@Danyal_Gilani) December 7, 2016

The flight PK-661 departed from Chitral around 3:30 pm today and was expected to land at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad but on its ways it crashed near Havelian at 4:42 pm.

Crashed flight. pic.twitter.com/MS0MjCQauo

— Yasmeen Ali (@yasmeen_9) December 7, 2016

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that army troops and army helicopters had been mobilized to a site near Havelian.

The ISPR said that 36 bodies had been retrieved from the debris of the plane and Shifted to Ayub Medical Teaching Hospital in Abbottabad.

In the wake of PIA plane crash, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all authorities concerned to immediately reach the site and start rescue and relief operations.

The prime minister directed PIA directed to establish information centres at Chitral and Islamabad airports for the families and all concerned.

The Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also directed the concerned federal departments to immediately initiate rescue efforts and help Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.