Pakistan International Airlines flight PK661 crashes near Abbotabbad
Pakistan International Airlines aircraft ATR 42-500 crashed near Abbotabbad on Wednesday. Flight PK661 was operating between Chitrala and Islabamad when it had lost contact with the control tower.
The airlines' chairman Muhammad Azam Siagol said in a press conference that there were no survivors in the plane crash. The flight carried 47 passengers including two infants, two Austrians and one Chinese. It has three flight crews, two cabin crews and one ground engineer.
Saigol said that the aircraft passed an A-check certification in October conducted after every 500 hours of flight operation. He also said that there was no technical or human error as the aircraft undergone regular maintenance. Although the airlines did not think of any errors that led to the plane crash, Saigol said that they would conduct a proper investigation.
The airline's senior technician, Mohammad Ayub, also confirmed that there were no technical issues before it took off from Chitrala.
“There was no technical issue… had been cleared by the aircraft engineer, Asim Waqas, who is also one of the victims. Yesterday, it had flown to Kabul as well,” Ayub told The Express Tribune.
The crew reported that there were engine problems before the plane began a descent. The crew declared Mayday then the aircraft lost contact after a minute. The aircraft turned left as it was unable to maintain heading before it hit the ground. Black boxes were already recovered.
In the statement released by the military media, it confirmed that there were at least 40 bodies recovered in the area. The rescue team is composed of 500 army troops including doctors and paramedics.
According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority report, all burnt bodies were shifted to Ayub Medical Teaching Hospital Abbottabad's mortuary.
Former pop star turned evangelical Muslim Junaid Jamshed was listed in the PIA aircraft ATR 42-500 manifesto. He was with his wife in Chitral on a 15-day preaching trip called Masturay Jamaat.
