Last survivor of 1965 PIA Cairo crash passes away at 93 in London

Salahuddin Siddique was among six passengers who survived the tragic crash

Salahuddin Siddique, the last survivor of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) 1965 Cairo air crash, has passed away in London at the age of 93.

A former General Manager of Public Affairs at PIA, Siddique was among the six passengers who survived the tragic crash. He retired from the airline in 1980.

According to family sources, Siddique had been living in London for many years. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

His funeral was held in London, where a large number of relatives, friends, and well-wishers gathered to pay their respects.

The PIA plane, which was on its inaugural flight from Karachi to London via Dhahran and Cairo, crashed on 20 May 1965, about 20 kilometres from Cairo airport. A total of 128 people were on board, including passengers and crew.

Tragically, 122 lives were lost, including PIA air hostess Momi Gul Durrani and 21 journalists, among them A.K. Qureshi, Administrator of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), and Major General Hayatuddin, Chairman of the National Press Trust.

In a statement, a PIA spokesperson expressed condolences on behalf of the airline’s management to Siddique’s family, saying, “Today, we have lost a cherished colleague. Salahuddin Siddique’s contributions to the national airline will always be remembered.”