Orders given to exhume bodies of PK-661 crew

In continuing investigations regarding the cause of crash of the ill-fated PK-661 flight which was on its way from Chitral to Islamabad, new orders have been received which may not sit well with the families of the crew members.

According to the latest orders, the bodies of the crew on board the flight are to be exhumed after the district health officer wrote a letter to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) suggesting that their graves should be dug up. These orders were given so that a drug test can be carried out on the bodies to ascertain whether any of the members was under the influence of drugs at the time the plane crashed.

The letter asking for the exhumation was written by Dr Najeeb Durrani and it suggests that carrying out the exhumation to determine drug use is a requirement of the investigation board. The letter further explains the procedure for the exhumation of the bodies and it says that the directions were given by the senior joint director medical, Civil Aviation Authority at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport through the deputy commissioner.

When Dr. Durrani was approached about the matter, he said that the letter was part of the standard operating procedures and it was a routine step in all air crash investigations. So far it is not clear why a drug test was not suggested before the bodies of the crew members were handed over to their families.

Meanwhile, Pims Administrator Dr Altaf Hussein confirmed that he had received the letter on Monday and that the hospital administration had already taken samples from the crew members which can be used for the tests.

“This will be done after orders are received from the deputy commissioner as orders of exhuming a body can only be given by him,” he said.

PK-661 flight was en route Islamabad from Chitral when it crashed near Havelian, killing all 47 people on-board. So far investigations have not been able to reveal a definite cause of the crash.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Jan 17 2017. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.