Pakistan initiates inquiry into deadly plane crash

An inquiry has been launched into Friday’s plane crash that left 97 people killed in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the country’s Aviation Minister said on Saturday.

Apart from the investigation board formed by the government, a team from the aircraft’s makers will also visit the crash site for investigation and the plane’s black box will be sent for decoding to further help the probe, Aviation Minister, Ghulam Khan, told a media briefing.

Khan added that the report will be made public within three months, after which stern action will be taken against those found guilty.

He also announced a compensation of one million rupees (about $6,227) each for the families of the 97 deceased passengers.

Talking to Xinhua, Meeran Yousuf, Media Coordinator of the Health Minister of Sindh province with Karachi as its capital city, said that all the 97 people were the passengers of the ill-fated plane and 21 of them have been identified and handed over to relatives.

Identification of the rest is underway.

“We have requested the families of the deceased people to cooperate with us for DNA test to identify the remaining bodies and currently samples are being taken for the test.

ALSO READ: Arik Air prepares for post-COVID-19 operations

“It will take 21 days to identify the bodies through the test after, which they will be handed over to the families,’’ she added.

She said the plane fell in a street and 17 houses were damaged after its wings and wreckage hit them, adding that the families of the affected houses have been shifted to various state-owned accommodations and they will be compensated later.

Two people survived the crash including an engineer who got burn injuries and the president of the Bank of Punjab, who got multiple fractures.

The condition of the two is stable, she said.

“The bank’s president was sitting close to the emergency exit and he controlled his nerves to quickly open the exit door after the plane crashed while the engineer was sitting on the back seat and when he saw the door opening, he restored his conscious and quickly jumped off the burning plane.

Both of them were later shifted to hospital,’’ Yousuf added.

The crashed plane belongs to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and according to Director Management of Operations PIA, Jawad Haider, the plane was not fully loaded due to COVID-19 safety measures.

The PIA flight PK-8303 with 91 passengers and eight crew members onboard took off from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in the eastern city of Lahore at 1.08 p.m. and crashed at 2.45 p.m. local time on Friday, PIA spokesperson, Abdullah Hafeez, said.

The Pakistani government has suspended domestic flight operations in March this year due to its measures against the COVID-19 spread.

The government resumed the domestic flight operations on May 16.

(Xinhua/NAN)

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

Moon Not Sighted, Sultan Says Ramadan Ends On Saturday
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has confirmed that this year’s Ramadan will come to and end on Saturday, 23rd of May, as moon for the new month was not sighted. This is according to a press statement signed by Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu, Chairman Advisory Committee on Religious… Read full story

Lagos Finalises Register- To- Open Guidelines, Set To Restart Economy ― Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State government has set the process of re-opening its economy in motion, with the rollout of Register-to-Open guidelines, saying the 4-page guidelines were the major part of the measures initiated to achieve phased re-opening of the state economy… Read full story

Buhari’s Executive Order Gives Financial Autonomy To State Legislature, Judiciary
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to both legislative and judicial arms of states. It was tagged Executive Order No 10 of 2020 according to a statement by Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the… Read full story

Reps Threaten To Prosecute MDAs Over Breach Of 2020 Budget
Following the submission of the revised 2020 budget proposal by President Muhammadu Buhari, the House of Reps on Friday warned that Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to desist from tampering with the 2020 budget. The Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara… Read full story