PK 8303 plane crash claims another life

12-year-old girl succumbs to burns sustained when aircraft plunged into residential area

KARACHI:  

On May 22, 12-year-old Naheeda Khaskheli excitedly made her way to Model Colony, where she was working as a domestic helper.

As she dreamed of the new clothes, bangles and makeup she would buy for Eidul Fitr with her own meagre income, she had little idea of what would come her way later that afternoon.

That day, as Naheeda waited in the street with her cousins Aziza and Mahira, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crashed into the residential area, leaving all three of them badly burned.

On Monday - 10 days after the crash - Naheeda succumbed to her injuries at the burns ward of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, where she had been rushed along with Aziza and Mahira. She had sustained burns on 59 per cent of her body.

As many as 97 people onboard the flight from Lahore to Karachi were killed in the disaster, while two passengers miraculously survived. Naheeda was the first person to die on ground.

Recalling the dreadful happenings of the day, Sobia related that Aziza, Mahira and Naheeda had been waiting for her and another cousin to finish work so that they could leave for home together.

"We were inside, working, when we heard a loud blast. It was so sudden and then all hell broke loose," she narrated. "Plumes of smoke and cries for help emanated from every corner of the street. Flames erupted across the street, burning Aziza, Mahira and Naheeda."

According to Sobia, until help arrived, people in the neighbourhood were left to save themselves.

By the time the three cousins were shifted to an ambulance to be taken to a hospital, they were badly burnt.

Dreams of a bright future

Naheeda, a student in Grade 7 at a charity school in Jam Kunda, Malir, often worked as househelp, especially on occasions such as Eid or weddings.

"Parents here cannot afford the financial burden on their own, so they encourage their daughters to earn an income as well," Farooq Khaskheli, a relative of the deceased, explained.

Speaking to The Express Tribune soon after Naheeda's death, he said she had been working at as househelp at five houses, adding that she earned less than Rs500 per house.

But Naheeda had bigger dreams: inspired by the Community Midwifery School set up by Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) in the area, she wanted to become a nurse.

"Many girls here have the same intention. They want to wear the white coat," said another relative. "These girls, coming from poor families, also support their mothers, both financially and emotionally," he added.

According to Farooq, Naheeda's father, a driver, had left the family three years ago, leaving her mother, Noor Bano, to support the girl and her five siblings. As a result, Naheeda, too, tried to earn what she could.

Neighbours pointed out that she had neither been a passenger nor a resident of Model Colony. "The family should receive justice. No one has given any support to them," claimed one of them.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, who attended the funeral prayers along with PIA officers, said that the family would be given Rs1 million in compensation by the airline, as well as additional assistance. Moreover, he claimed that Aziza and Mahira would receive compensation of Rs500,000 each.

According to the girls' maternal uncle, Muhammad Essa, government officials had visited his nieces at the hospital and promised assistance last week.

Following that, PTI leaders MNA Aftab Siddiqui and Mahmood Moulvi had announced that the injured girls would be given Rs500,000 each.

*With additional information by Rija Fatima