Bhoja Air crash: 118 victims identified, 115 handed over to families

ISLAMABAD: All 127 people on board a Boeing 737 that crashed near Islamabad in bad weather are dead, hospital and civil aviation officials said on Saturday.

The remains of the victims were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where 118 were identified while 115 were handed over to their aggrieved relatives.

Meanwhile the DNA samples of the remaining victims have been obtained for identification.

A special flight of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) carrying the relatives of air-crash victims had arrived earlier in Islamabad on Saturday.

A special counter has been set up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at the Islamabad airport to entertain queries.

According to the PIA spokesman, the flight PK-300 was scheduled to take off at 7:00 am but due to the chaotic situation at the airport, it took off at 7:45 am. The flight carried 418 passengers along with members of 94 bereaved families of the crash victims.

The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi came down in fields near a residential area on the edge of the Pakistani capital on Friday evening, as it was attempting to land at the city's international airport.

Civil aviation official Junaid Khan said: "All 127 people died. No one survived. There was no possibility of any survivor in this crash."

The airline said the Boeing 737 was carrying 121 passengers, including 11 children, as well as six crew.

Doctor Waseem Khawaja, who is in charge of Islamabad's main hospital, the PIMS, said bodies had been brought in more than 100 bags.

"There was no survivor, all on board are dead," Khawaja said.

Witnesses said the plane burst into flames after crashing.