Pakistan plane carrying up to 47 people crashes near Abottabad

A Pakistani plane carrying up to 47 passengers has crashed near Abottabad, a regional police official has said.

Pakistan International Airlines` (PIA) passenger plane PK 116 was on its way to Islamabad from the northern city of Chitral.

The Pakistani singer and religious preacher Junaid Jamshed was on the plane when it crashed, Dawn News reports.

The national flag carrier confirmed in a statement the plane had lost contact with air traffic controllers on Wednesday afternoon.

"PIA`s ATR-42 aircraft operating as PK-661, carrying around 40 persons lost its contact with the control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad a short while ago," PIA spokesman Daniyal Gilani tweeted.

"All resources are being mobilised to locate the aircraft."

Initial reports said there were 37 passengers on the plane, but the civil aviation authority said there  were 47 people on board the aircraft.

Geo News and Dawn News TV stations, citing civil aviation sourecs, said the plane lost contact with civil aviation authority at around 4.30pm (11.30 GMT).
World news in pictures

 Laiq Shah, a senior police official in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province told Reuters by telephone the plane had crashed in that region, near the town of Havelian.

He said Ground rescue teams were en route to the crash site.

More follows

Source : Indpendent