Tragedy struck Pakistan late yesterday when a Pakistan International Airlines plane, carrying 48 passengers, crashed in the country’s mountainous northern region, killing everyone on board.

PIA’s PK 661, which was flying from Chitral to Pakistani capital Islamabad, crashed on Wednesday night.

“There’re no survivors, no one has survived,” PIA Chairman Muhammad Azam Saigol confirmed at a Press conference, five hours after the plane crashed near the town of Havelian, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Al Jazeera Online reported him as saying that the ATR-42 aircraft had undergone regular maintenance checks and in October, had passed an ‘A-check’ certification, conducted after every 500 hours of flight operations.

Around 500 soldiers were combing the area for survivors, but everyone is believed killed. Around 40 bodies have been recovered so far.

Junaid Jamshed, Pakistan's singer-turned-preacher, and his wife were also among the fatalities.

He rose to fame in Pakistan in the 1980s and ’90s as singer for the Vital Signs pop band. He then launched a solo career and delivered several hits. In 2001, he called time on his music career and devoted himself to spreading Islam worldwide.

HH The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani all sent cables of condolences to Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain following the deadly crash.