PIA blames engine, Sharif orders probe

PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES flight PK-661 crashed after one of its two turboprop engines failed en route to Islamabad killing everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, even as they began a probe into the accident and sent bodies for DNA test to identify the victims.

The flight with 47 people, including pop singer-turned-islamic preacher Junaid Jamshed, his wife and Deputy Commissioner Chitral Osama Warraich, on board crashed in Saddha Batolni village near Havelian yesterday while en route to Islamabad from Chitral in Khyber-pakhtunkhwa province.

According to flight manifest, 31 men, nine women, two infants and five crew members were on board the ATR-42 aircraft, which lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Islamabad’s Benazir International Airport.

The pilot of the ill-fated flight made his first call to the air traffic control soon after the plane took off.

He said that the plane’s left engine was not functioning and moments later followed with a panicked: “Mayday! Mayday”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Thursday ordered an independent probe to determine the cause the crash.

Sharif chaired a meeting at PM House to inquire about the circumstances around the crash of PIA plane.

In a statement, PMO said that Sharif ordered that a detailed, independent and transparent inquiry into the unfortunate crash be held by the Safety Investigation Board, and that it should be completed at the earliest.

“It is imperative that the truth should be brought out and shared with the people in the shortest possible time,” the Prime Minister said.