KARACHI: As rescue workers, security officials and local volunteers completed the tiring job of retrieving bodies from the rubble of the ill-fated Pakistan International Airlines plane that crashed on Friday afternoon, authorities on Saturday start assessing the damage caused by the incident on the ground and counted some 19 houses in Model Colony whose structures had been damaged badly.

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ahmed Shallwani said that a committee assigned by him was conducting a survey and had almost completed its job.

He replied in the affirmative when asked about any compensation to the owners of the damaged houses, but said the final assessment report would determine the details.

“None of the houses was completely destroyed or damaged,” the commissioner told Dawn. “Parts of some house, 15 or so, were damaged. In most of the cases, upper parts of the houses were damaged where their concrete structure was hit by the crashed plane. Fortunately, the structures mostly remained intact.”

He said there were also some vehicles parked in the street of the particular Model Colony area where the PIA crashed. A team would also take their details into account while compiling a report, he said.

Commissioner says govt to provide compensation to repair damaged houses

Meanwhile, he requested all bereaved families of the victims of the crash to visit the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), Karachi University, for DNA sampling. First priority is to be given to parents of the victims, second to their children and third to their siblings, he added.

Governor, aviation minister visit

Earlier, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan visited the site of the plane crash in Model Colony and inspected the damage caused due to the incident.

PIA chief executive officer Arshad Malik, members of the National and Sindh assemblies were also with him.

The governor met with the locals and volunteers engaged in rescue and relief work. PIA chief Arshad Malik informed the governor that all bodies were recovered from the wreckage while two persons were rescued alive after the crash.

He appreciated the quick response of the armed forces and Pakistan Rangers carrying out rescue work.

“On the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan Qasr-e-Naz and Airport Hotel of the PIA have been reserved for legal heirs of crash victim and families who lost their houses in the incident for their accommodation,” he said while talking to reporters.

“On PM’s directives, Rs one million each would be given to the heirs of deceased, while the amount of insurance compensation would also to be paid. It is a miracle that no life was lost on the ground despite the fact that plane crashed in a thickly-populated area.”

Later, the Sindh governor visited the Askari-IV residence of Ansar Naqvi, a senior journalist and director news of a private TV channel, who was among the victims of the plane crash.

“The Sindh governor expressed his condolences to Shehryar and Shazin, sons of the deceased journalist,” said a statement issued from the Governor House. “The plane crash is a big tragedy and is a great shock especially to the families of the victims. Ansar Naqvi was a senior journalist as well as a very good man who was always ready to teach his juniors.”

He also visited the residence of Yahya Polani, the owner of Polani Travels, and offered condolences to him on the death of his nephew Zain Polani, his wife and three children in a plane crash.

“It’s a great shock to the Polani family as an entire family has [been] affected in the incident,” the statement quoted Governor Ismail as saying.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2020