ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Thursday that it will open an investigation into a plane crash Wednesday in the country’s northwest that killed 47 passengers and crew. Military helicopters ferried the remains of victims to the capital Thursday.
The small, twin-propeller aircraft was traveling Wednesday from the scenic mountain resort of Chitral to Islamabad when one of its engines failed shortly after takeoff, causing the plane to crash into a hillside village, according to Pervez George, an official at the Civil Aviation Authority. No one survived.
The plane belonged to Pakistan International Airlines, the national carrier, and had 42 passengers and five crew members on board, Pakistan International spokesman Daniyal Gilani said.
During a high-level meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on authorities to investigate the crash, according to a government statement. He also asked that DNA tests be carried out as soon as possible to identify the victims.
Witnesses said they saw the plane flying very low for several minutes before it tilted and went down, then burst into flames in the village of Gug.
“The plane was swaying … then I saw it hitting the hill with a loud bang,” said Chaudhry Rustam, a villager who rushed to the crash site, where thick smoke billowed from the debris. Zainab Nazakat said she was preparing dinner when she saw the plane hit several trees and a water supply tank.
Reporters at the crash site Thursday saw the plane’s wreckage strewn over a 1.5-mile radius, blackened from the smoke and fire overnight, with clothes, shoes and passenger bags scattered about.