Pakistan Plane Crash Live Updates: Passengers, Death Toll And Photos From PIA Flight PK661 To Islamabad

UPDATE: 11:25 a.m. EST — There is "no chance" anyone survived the crash of Pakistani International Airlines flight PK661, local provincial legislator Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha told Agence France-Presse Wednesday after 36 bodies were recovered form the fiery scene. Officials on the ground and eye witnesses had previously told media outlets that the remains of the victims of the crash were burned beyond recognition.

The flight went down west of Islamabad, its destination, into the side of a mountain. The flight crew reportedly made a mayday call before impact. There were 48 people on board.

UPDATE: 10:40 a.m. EST — Thirty-six bodies were reportedly recovered from the site of the Pakistani International Airlines flight PK661 crash Wednesday after the plane went down in a mountainous region that made it difficult for recovery responders to access the wreckage. The airline confirmed to multiple news outlets that there were 42 passengers on board the plane, five crew members and a ground engineer.

The identities of the recovered bodies appeared to be unclear following the crash as first responders and eye witnesses reportedly told media that the remains were burned beyond recognition.

UPDATE: 10:05 EST — Twenty-one bodies were reportedly recovered by the Pakistani army after a commercial flight from Chitral to Islamabad crashed into a mountainous region west of the nation's capital Wednesday, according to a military statement acquired by Al Jazeera. Eyewitnesses and officials told media that survivors of the crash were unlikely and that the remains of bodies at the scene were not immediately identifiable.

The reported number of people on board the flight continued to vary in initial media reports. What appeared to be the flight's manifest pegged the number at 42. Adding in crew members, some outlets reported 48 people were on board the flight.

UPDATE: 9:40 a.m. EST — Recovery operations were hindered by nightfall and difficult terrain following the crash of Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK661 Wednesday. The flight, which was on its way to Islamabad, reportedly had more than 40 passengers on board when it crashed into a mountainous region west of the capital.

A video posted by Pakistani newspaper Dawn showed the burning remains of the plane on a steep incline. Officials and eye witnesses told news outlets that the remains of the passengers were unidentifiable. While weather conditions were clear, ambulances were not able to get to the crash site because of the rugged terrain.

UPDATE: 9:15 a.m. EST — Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported Wednesday that there were at least three foreigners aboard the Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK661 that crashed into a mountainous region on its way to Islamabad. There were 31 men, nine women and two children on board the plane when it went down, the paper reported. Officials had previously indicated that survivors of the fiery crash were unlikely.

Jumma Khan, an eyewitness, reportedly said, "the bodies we have taken out are not intact. They are beyond recognition. We cannot tell women from men... they are just legs and arms."

The flight crashed after going missing at 4:30 p.m. local time. The number of passengers on board remained unclear in the immediate aftermath, with the Civil Aviation Authority saying that there were 47 people on board while an official of the airliner said that there were 41 passengers and four crew members. A photo that appeared to show the flight's manifest seemed to back up the passenger figures reported by Dawn.

UPDATE: 8:48 a.m. EST — Seven bodies were reportedly recovered from debris after Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK661 crashed into a mountainous region west of Islamabad Wednesday. Regional officials said that the flight, which was carrying 47 passengers on its route from the town Citral to the capital, was on fire before it crashed, Al Jazeera reported.

Officials said Wednesday that it was unlikely that there would be any survivors and that bodies at the scene were burned beyond recognition. A spokesperson for the airline said that it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

A famous pop star was reportedly one of the passengers on board the doomed plane, triggering mourning on social media. His name, Junaid Jamshed, was trending on Twitter Wednesday morning.

Two children were also reported to be among the casualties.

ORIGINAL STORY — A passenger plane flying to Islamabad from the northern town of Chitral reportedly crashed into a mountainous region of the country about 45 miles west of its destination Wednesday. The flight, run by Pakistan International Airlines, had 47 people on board who officials said were unlikely to have survived the impact.

“All of the bodies are burned beyond recognition. The debris is scattered,” an official said, according to the Guardian.

Among those on board the flight was pop-star-turned-evangelical-preacher Junaid Jamshed.

Communication with flight PK661 was lost at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time, civil aviation sources said. The last major air disaster in Pakistan occurred last year when a military helicopter crashed, killing eight people including foreign envoys.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.