47 Feared Dead in Pakistan International Airlines Plane Crash

A domestic Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight bound for Islamabad lost contact with air traffic controllers following its departure from the mountainous northern city of Chitral. The plane, an ATR-42 aircraft, was then later confirmed to have crashed about 125km north of Islamabad. There were 47 people onboard, including one of the nation's loved popstars, Junaid Jamshed.

According to a PIA spokesperson, a 'mayday' distress call was made before the flight went off the radar. Taj Muhammad Khan, a government official based in Havelian (the area where the crash happened), claimed witnesses saw the aircraft going in flames before plummeting to the ground. Also according to Khan, who was present at the crash site, there are unlikely to be any survivors. "All of the bodies are burned beyond recognition. The debris is scattered." More eyewitness accounts explained that the site continued to burn two hours after the crash happened as officials launch a search for survivors while "removing body parts".

Image: Daily Mail

Image: The Telegraph

While there is still no official report as to what caused the unfortunate incident, Irfan Elahi, the government's Aviation Secretary, suggested that it could have been the result of a faulty engine.

So far, 21 bodies have been recovered and rescue operations are currently ongoing.

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