RAWLAPINDI: Relatives of passengers on board the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-661 that crashed into the mountains of Havailian on its way from Chitral to Islamabad on Wednesday were poring over the list of passengers available on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and PIA information desks at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA).

Those who could not find the names of their loved ones were told to wait as the complete passenger’s list was not available with the facilitation desks for some time.

Mohammad Noman Shafiq, a 24-year-old electrical engineer who was on board the plane, talked to his brother Mohammad Aqeel prior to getting on the PIA flight. Aqeel had just come to Jhelum from Kuwait and was on his way to BBIA when he received news of the plane crash.

The flight, carrying 47 people, crashed into Havailian mountains

“When he heard about the crash, Aqeel returned to Jhelum and did not come to the airport, where we were waiting for him,” Qamar Mehmood, one of the Aqeel’s cousins, told Dawn.

Qamar said Noman was a brilliant engineer and was associated with a private firm. He said Noman’s name had been on the passenger’s list and that his death had been confirmed by the concerned authorities as well.

“We are waiting to hear which hospital his body will be brought to and when it will be handed over to us,” Qamar said.

Mashkoor Ahmed had come to receive his friend, Atif Mehmood who was on board the plane and said his friend had promised to bring him a gift if he came to receive him.

“Yesterday, Atif insisted he wants to bring me something from Chitral. I asked him to bring me some walnuts, which he promised to bring if I come to receive him at the airport,” he said.

Two Australians, Herald Kessler and Hervig Eichelbenger, and a Chinese national, Han Quiang were also on board the doomed flight. The Chinese embassy refused to share details of Han Quiang.

An official of the airport told Dawn that he was on duty when the ATR-42 took off from Islamabad today and was scheduled to return from Chitral at 4:50pm. The same plane was scheduled to leave for Lahore Wednesday night.

“The pilot of the plane, Saleh Hayat Janjua, waved at me before leaving the lounge and took charge of the plane,” the official said.

Captain Saleh Hayat Janjua was accompanied by two first officers, Aly Akram and Ahmed Janjua. The two airhostesses on the plane were identified as Sadaf Farooq and Asma Adil and the two Airport Security Force guards were identified as Ahsan and Sami. Flight engineer Asim Waqas was also on board the plane.

According to the CAA, 31 men, nine women and two infants were on the plane other than the five crew members.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2016