AKIPRESS.COM - A Pakistan International Airlines plane with 47 people on board, including a famous former pop singer, crashed near Abbottabad in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, government officials and the airline said.
The flight, PK 661, was traveling from Chitral, a northern tourist destination near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, to Islamabad, the capital, when it crashed, said Saeed Wazir, the deputy inspector general of police in Abbottabad District.
Pakistani International Airlines, the national carrier, released a statement saying that 42 passengers, five crew members and one ground engineer were on board the aircraft, an ATR 42 twin turboprop plane. The statement said the plane went down near the city of Havelian, in Abbottabad District.
“Rescue efforts are underway, and we are also ascertaining the extent of damage to life to those on board the aircraft,” the statement read.
The passengers included Junaid Jamshed, a popular recording artist who later turned to Islamic proselytizing. Mr. Jamshed was a heartthrob in his youth, performing lead vocals in the band Vital Signs, known for its brooding, romantic, catchy ballads.
A senior government official in Peshawar said that three foreigners, including an Australian, a Chinese and a Korean, were among the passengers.