No Survivors in PIA Crash

PK661, en route to Islamabad, crashed in a remote region of northern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing all passengers.

A domestic Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane has crashed in a remote mountainous area in the north of the country, killing all onboard.

Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK661, which was heading for the capital of Islamabad, crashed at 4:42 p.m. local time near the municipality of Havelian. The flight took off from Chitral, a tourist destination in the far north of the country.

The captain of the ATR turboprop reported a loss of power in one of the craft’s engines just a few minutes before the crash, Reuters reports. Muhammad Azam Saigol, PIA’s chairman, confirmed to the news agency that this particular craft had been inspected as part of a regular maintenance schedule.

Saigol has confirmed that a full investigation into the crash will be conducted.

In a statement, PIA confirmed that PK661 was carrying 42 passengers, five crew members and one ground engineer at the time of the crash.

It is reported by local media that Junaid Jamshed, a Pakistani singer turned religious figure, is one of the casualties of the crash. Reuters has also confirmed that three foreign nationals are among the dead.

Government official Taj Muhammad Khan was at the crash site and was told by local eyewitnesses there that, “the aircraft has crashed in a mountainous area, and before it hit the ground it was on fire.”

The Pakistani military has confirmed that, so far, the bodies of 40 passengers have been recovered from the site.

PIA stated that, “Rescue efforts are under way and we are also ascertaining the extent of damage to life of those on board the aircraft. PIA is doing everything possible to help the families of passengers and crew members for first hand information regarding the incident and damage.”