By Web Desk

-

Dec 08, 2016

Junaid Jamshed's last picture at Chitral Airport before he boards ill-fated flight

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ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying 47 people crashed Wednesday and burst into flames killing everyone on board including known religious figure Junaid Jamshed.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight PK661 came down after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from Chitral to Islamabad.

Rescuers, including hundreds of villagers, pulled the charred remains from the wreckage of the aircraft, parts of which were found hundreds of metres away from the main site in Abbottabad.

Video of crash site captured by an eye-witness

Tributes poured in on social media for the former lead singer of the country’s first major pop band, whose popular “Dil Dil Pakistan” became an unofficial national anthem.

“The voice of my youth, the voice of my generation…. #JunaidJamshed you will be sorely missed,” tweeted a user.

Jamshed was in Chitral for Tableegh along with other fellows. He boarded a PIA jet from Chitral for Islamabad at 3.55pm and the plane was due to land at 4.40pm in the federal capital, but shortly after take-off, it disappeared from radar.

the last azaan Junaid Jamshed gave.. pic.twitter.com/pYU7J6KnV0

— Ali. (@AleyFarooq) December 7, 2016

The ATR-42 aircraft involved in the crash had undergone regular maintenance, including an “A-check” certification in October, airline chairman Muhammad Azam Sehgal said.

“I want to make it clear that it was a perfectly sound aircraft,” he said, ruling out technical or human error.

Sehgal also confirmed that none aboard PK-661 survived the crash.

Last picture Junaid Jamshed at Chitral Airport

The aircraft appeared to have suffered a failure in one of its two turboprop engines just before the crash, he said, but this would have to be confirmed by an investigation.