Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has confirmed the deaths of all 47 passengers on board a flight that crashed into the mountains near Havelian, Abbottabad.
Operated by PIA, the ATR-42 aircraft was carrying 42 passengers and five crew members when it lost contact with a control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad, Pakistan.
PIA stated that a pilot had reported losing control in one of the two engines moments before the plane lost contact with the control tower.
PIA chairman Azam Saigol was quoted by CNN as saying: "We were confident that the plane could land with one working engine.
"This is a tragedy. We are not absolving ourselves of any connection to this incident."
Two infants and Pakistani pop star-turned-religious artist Junaid Jamshed were among the passengers on board the crashed flight.
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By GlobalDataPakistan's National Disaster Management Authority has already been able to recover 46 of the 47 bodies from the crash site.
PIA noted that an inquiry has been ordered to look into the incident.
Manufactured in 2007, the crashed ATR aircraft had already completed 18,740 flight hours.
PIA currently has 11 other ATRs, which is a twin-engine propeller jet produced by a joint venture between Airbus Group and Leonardo.
