Judicial Commission Formed: Juitice Zahid Hussain to Lead Bhoja Airline Crash Case

Judicial commission formed to probe Bhoja air crash

ISLAMABAD: A judicial commission has been formed to probe the Bhoja Airline’s plane crash in which 127 passengers and crew were killed.

The commission will be led by Justice (retired) Zahid Hussain. The Interior Ministry has issued a notification regarding the formation of the commission. The commission was formed on the directives of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

While visiting PIMS Hospital on Saturday, Prime Minister Gilani said that until investigation were complete it would be unfair to jump to conclusions.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said facts and causes of Bhoja plane tragedy were being probed and the findings would be made public.

Talking to media persons at the site of the plane crash in Hussainabad village, the Information Minister said that an inquiry into the tragic incident was underway.

Replying to a question about Air Blue plane crash, the minister said all facts were made public in that regard and assured that the responsible for this incident would not be spared.

via: geo.tv

As many as 118 bodies have been identified and 116 handed over to their heirs and family members on Saturday morning at PIMS Hospital, said Dr Waseem Khawaja, spokesman for PIMS. He said four victims were still untraceable and blood samples of their relatives have been sent for DNA testing.

There was hardly a dry eye in the room, with grief and shock etched on the faces of the distraught family members as they were handed the bodies of their loved ones.

More News & Name List of Staff & Passengers who died in this accident, please visit the following link:

Bhoja Airline Crash in Islamabad FULL Updated Details

If you want to know the biggest air crashes in the history of Pakistan, visit the following link:

BIGGEST Air Crashes in History of Pakistan

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Earlier, speaking to media persons, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik said the government had placed the name of Bhoja Air owner Farooq Bhoja on the Exit Control List (ECL) till the completion of the inquiry into the matter. He said the criminal aspect of the Bhoja Air plane crash could not be ruled out, though international experts believed the weather was the main cause of the plane crash.

Rehman Malik said the government had decided to thoroughly investigate the airworthiness of the ill-fated plane as it was said that the craft was very old, adding that a probe committee had been constituted to investigate the crash.

Malik assured reporters that causes of the crash would be probed into. Whether it was some fault in the aircraft that had caused the disaster, or whether it was lightning, the bad weather or any other factor, the matter would be viewed from every angle. The plane’s flight data recording systems, key to any investigation, have been recovered, he added.

The preliminary inquiry report into the Bhoja Air plane crash, submitted to the president and the prime minister, confirmed that bad weather and air pressure caused the disaster and the plane caught fire due to nimbus clouds in the air, people engaged in the investigation into the tragedy told The News.

The Islamabad Police have registered a case under sections 120-B, 302, 280, 286, 427 and 109 against the administration of Bhoja Air including its owner Farooq Bhoja for using outdated aircraft and for causing loss of life and property, the police sources said.

Meanwhile, the CDA Emergency and Disaster Management Cell claimed the voice recorder of the plane had been found, and it would be handed over to the authorities concerned today (Sunday). However, IGP Bin Yamin, when contacted by this correspondent, said despite a thorough search, the voice recorder had not be found.

The record of conversation between the pilot and control tower has been sealed. “The plane is out of my control,” were the last words received by the control tower from the pilot before contact between the pilot and control tower was terminated, seconds before the crash.

The families of the victims on Saturday demanded early completion of the investigation and insisted that the findings be made public at the earliest.

It is worth mentioning that the investigation into the Airblue crash that took place in the Margalla Hills in July 2010 has not yet been completed and has not even been made public despite a lapse of 21 months. The prime minister, at that time too, had uttered almost the same words and ordered an immediate investigation. Unfortunately the orders were never implemented.

The preliminary report prepared on the basis of circumstantial evidence and information provided by the Air Traffic Control, disclosed that the aircraft was flying at 500 kilometres per hour and it caught fire due to extensive air pressure in the nimbus clouds which resulted in a mid-air explosion, with its debris scattering hundreds of meters below.

The plane, which was in a landing position, should have been at 1,500 to 1,700 ft above ground but it was only at 800ft, the report said. It was also noted that at the time of landing, the aircraft was flying too low and too fast.

Islamabad police, with the help of army troops and rescuers of 1122, continued collecting body parts and evidence from the venue of the disaster, police said.

The Director General of the Meteorological Department Arif Mehmood told the media that a weather warning was provided to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) twice on Friday. The first warning was issued at 3:00 pm which cited the main aviation hazards; the second warning was issued before 6:00 pm. He said both warnings stated that the wind pressure was extremely high. The DG said the Bhoja Air plane should never have been given permission to land, adding the plane should have been directed to land at an alternate airport which was the Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore.

The four-member team constituted by Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi and led by experienced civil aviation official Mujahid Islam has initiated the inquiry. Other members include Kabir Khan, Dr Ijaz and Imanullah Alvi.

via: thenews.com.pk