This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-plane-pk116-crash-47-passengers-latest-updates-islamabad-chitral-live-updates-a7460616.html
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Pakistan plane crash: 'Survivors unlikely' after flight carrying up to 47 people crashes near Abottabad | |
(35 minutes later) | |
There are unlikely to be any survivors from a Pakistani plane carrying up to 47 passengers that crashed near Abottabad, a government official has said. | |
Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) passenger plane PK 116 was on its way to Islamabad from the northern city of Chitral. | Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) passenger plane PK 116 was on its way to Islamabad from the northern city of Chitral. |
The Pakistani pop star turned evangelical cleric Junaid Jamshed was on the plane when it crashed, local media reports. | |
"All of the bodies are burned beyond recognition. The debris is scattered," Taj Muhammad Khan, a government official based in the Havelian region, told Reuters. | |
Mr Khan, who was at the site of the crash, added that witnesses told him "the aircraft has crashed in a mountainous area, and before it hit the ground it was on fire". | |
Laiq Shah, a senior police official in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province told Reuters by telephone the plane had crashed in that region, near the town of Havelian. | |
He said ground rescue teams were en route to the crash site. The army said it dispatched troops and helicopters to the location. | |
There were no immediate details on casualties but Pakistan's interior ministry dispatched a team with experts on identifying bodies through DNA tests. | |
The national flag carrier confirmed in a statement the plane had lost contact with air traffic controllers on Wednesday afternoon. | |
"PIA's ATR-42 aircraft operating as PK-661, carrying around 40 persons lost its contact with the control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago," PIA spokesman Daniyal Gilani tweeted. | |
"All resources are being mobilised to locate the aircraft." | |
Initial reports said there were 37 passengers on the plane, but the civil aviation authority said there were 47 people on board. | |
Geo News and Dawn News TV stations, citing civil aviation sourecs, said the plane lost contact with civil aviation authority at around 4.30pm (11.30 GMT). | |
More follows | More follows |