Father, son on a fund raising mission die

The duo - flying around the world to raise money for underprivileged kids - died in a plane crash.

KARACHI: Seventeen-year-old Haris Suleman and his father Babar, who were flying around the world to raise money for underprivileged kids, died in a plane crash on Wednesday.

Haris’s uncle Air Vice Marshal Abid Rao confirmed to The Express Tribune that the plane, a single engine aircraft – in which the father and son had left for Hawaii – crashed near Pago Pago Island.

“We are very sad. It was the last leg of their trip, a journey of 13-14 hours. But their plane crashed within two minutes after they took off,” Rao said.

He said the incident took place between 6pm to 6:30 pm PST. According to him, Haris’s body has been recovered while Babar and the plane wreckage are yet to be found.

Through this journey, Haris was aiming to break a record of being the youngest person ever to fly around the world in 30 days, and also to raise money for The Citizens Foundation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2014.