Islamabad, July 11 (Xinhua) The eastern Pakistani city of Multan observed a day of mourning Tuesday one day after a Pakistani International Airlines plane crashed killing all the 45 people on board.
The PK-688 Fokker aircraft bound for Lahore crashed and burst into flames several minutes after it took off from Multan airport at about 12.05 p.m. (GMT 0705) Monday.
The business community in Multan announced a shutter down mourning, reported GEO TV.
Amongst those killed in the crash include two judges from Lahore High Court, two army brigadiers, and a vice-chancellor of a government university in Multan.
Police in Multan said the accident was caused by a technical fault, while media reports said the plane hit an electric wire before it crashed.
However, a top official of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which owned the Fokker plane, said there was no report of any fault in the plane before it took off.
A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the cause of the air crash.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also expressed their grief over the lives lost in the accident.
© 2006 Xinhua |