A Pakistan International Airlines turboprop crashed Wednesday in the country’s northern region, killing all 48 people on board. News reports say there was a fiery explosion as the ATR-42 crashed following a possible engine-related emergency. The airliner was carrying 42 passengers, five crew members and a ground engineer when it crashed in mountainous terrain north of the flight’s destination to Islamabad. Recovery teams are working at the site and have recovered the flight data recorder. CNN is reporting that the pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure.
Witness video of the wreckage posted by Reuters shows a trail of burning debris strewn along a mountainside. Officials in Pakistan told the news service that “all of the bodies are burnt beyond recognition. The debris are scattered.” Witnesses also reported that “before it hit the ground it was on fire.”
