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Pakistani plane with 47 people aboard crashes - UPDATED

Pakistani plane with 47 people aboard crashes - <span style="color: red;">UPDATED

07 December 2016 14:00 (UTC +04:00)

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying 47 people crashed Wednesday on a domestic flight from the mountainous northern city of Chitral to Islamabad, aviation authorities confirmed, Geo.tv reported.

According Civil Aviation Authority sources, the ATR-42 plane with 47 passengers went missing from the radar near Havelian while it was on its way to Islamabad.

The plane took off from Chitral around 3:00PM but communication with the control tower was broken around 4:30PM, shortly before it was about to arrive at its destination.

CAA sources confirmed a mayday call from the pilot to the control tower shortly before it lost communication with the plane.

Eyewitnesses said they had seen a plane crash in a hilly area near Havelian, near the Ordinance factory. Clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the area of the reported crash.

Ground rescue teams had been sent to the area, sources said. The Inter-Services Public Relations said that army contingents and helicopters have also been dispatched for rescue operations.