Airblue tragedy completes four years, prayer ceremony held for martyrs
Airblue tragedy completes four years today, prayer ceremonies for martyrs held in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – As Airblue tragedy completed four years on Monday, prayer ceremonies for martyrs were held at H-8 graveyard in Islamabad, Dunya News reported.
The families of the passengers killed in the tragedy came in large numbers to attend the prayer ceremony. The families placed flowers on the graves of loved ones and offered prayers in remembrance. Family members and friends of victims of the 2010 Airblue plane crash in Islamabad remembered the tragedy by paying homage to the 152 passengers and crew members who were killed on board.
On July 28 in the year 2010, 152 people including the crew members were killed in the AirBlue plane crash.
Air Blue jet swerved off course on July 28 in 2010 crashing into the Margalla hills in Islamabad. The crash resultantly killed 152 people on board including the crew members.
The Airblue jet crash is considered to be the deadliest ever in the history of Pakistan. The plane mostly carried Pakistani passengers; however, two U.S. citizens were on the plane too.
The plane took off from Karachi at 7.45 am for a two hour flight to Islamabad. It was on the verge to land when it lost contact with the control tower, according to the civil aviation official, Pervez George.
The airplane crashed approximately 15 kilometers from the airport in Islamabad. The exact cause of the crash was not immediately known but the Defense Ministry announced that they did not suspect terrorism. The rescue officials said that the crash was so severe that it was impossible for any passenger to survive. The government declared next day as the day of mourning and condolences came in from U.S., Britain and other countries. Moreover, many people showed up at the hospital in Islamabad and airport to seek news about their friends and relatives.
The spokesperson for U.S. Embassy confirmed that two American citizens were on board but declined providing any further information. The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said that the plane crashed because of bad weather conditions because otherwise there were no technical issues in the jet.The spokesperson for the airline said that the crash would be investigated. Airblue is a private airline based in Karachi which flies within Pakistan and to UAE, Oman and UK. The crashed aircraft was initially delivered in 2000, and was leased to Airblue in January 2006. By 2010, it has accumulated abour 34,000 flight hours during 13,500 flights.
