A Pakistan International Airlines passenger jet carrying at least 47 people crashed in the north of the country on Wednesday afternoon, the airline confirmed.
Plane involved in today's sad incident. #PK661
The ATR 42 aircraft had departed from Chitral at 3:30 p.m. local time, and was due to land at Benezir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said the aircraft crashed at 4:42 p.m. local time near a small village called Saddha Batolni near Havelian in the Abbottabad District, about 45 miles northwest of Islamabad.
The airline's chairperson, Muhammad Azam Saigo, said in a press conference Wednesday that there were no survivors.
In a statement on social media, PIA said there were 42 passengers, five crew members, and one ground engineer on board the flight. However, according to information released on the company's website, there were 47 people on board.
"Rescue efforts are under way and we are also ascertaining the extent of damage to life of those on board the aircraft," PIA said in the statement.
The 42 passengers on board the flight included 31 men, nine women and two infants, according to information released by a PIA spokesperson. There were also two Austrians and one Chinese passenger on the flight.
Information About Flight #PK661
Dawn News published pictures purported to be of the crash site:
Pictures of PIA flight crash just released Follow live updates: https://t.co/2LaNWnvYCD
Earlier, Pakistan International Airlines spokesman Danyal Gilani tweeted that the plane had lost contact with control towers, adding that all resources had been mobilized to locate the aircraft.
A PIA aircraft has lost contact with control tower. Plz see statement below.
Prominent Pakistani politician Imran Khan tweeted he was "shocked and saddened" at news of the plane crash.
Shocked & saddened by the tragic PIA plane crash near HavelIan. May Allah give the families of the deceased courage to bear their loss.
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