CHITRAL, June 16: A PIA Fokker with 42 passengers and four crew members on board escaped a major disaster as it developed technical problems after landing at Chitral airport on Wednesday, officials said.

A PIA press release issued in Peshawar said that all passengers and crew members had safely disembarked. Officials said that Flight PK-660 developed a technical fault after landing at the Chitral airport.

The pilot could not stop the plane on the runway, and overshot the area of the airport. PIA officials said that the plane had been fully serviced before it took off from Peshawar.

The weather also was good, they added. The aircraft developed the technical fault on landing in Chitral, they said.

The press release said that authorities were investigating the incident and a team of engineers and technicians had been dispatched to Chitral to repair the plane. Meanwhile, the passengers waiting at the airport were flown to Peshawar by a special flight.