A Pakistani passenger plane carrying at least 40 people from the northern town of Chitral to Islamabad crashed Wednesday, officials confirmed.
The ATR-42 aircraft of the state-run Pakistan International Airline went down in an isolated mountainous area near the town of Havelian and caught fire immediately, witnesses and provincial police said.
A military spokesman said it has dispatched troops and helicopters to the site to help in rescue efforts.
A renowned Pakistani singer turned entrepreneur, Junaid Jamshed and his family were among the passengers, his family and PIA officials confirmed.