Pakistan karachi plane crash
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started paying compensation to the families of the victims of the Airbus A320 crash in Karachi on May 22, 2020. Image Credit: Agencies

Islamabad: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has started paying compensation to the victims of the Airbus A320 crash in Karachi on May 22, 2020.

In this regard, families of three victims and two lone surviving passengers were paid Rs10 million (Dh226,991) each.

The survivors include Muammad Zubair an engineer by profession and Zafar Masood, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bank of Punjab.

A total of 97 persons had lost their lives including 7 crew members.

The national flag carrier has also paid for the treatment of Zubair. According to PIA, besides the two surviving passengers, families of three other passengers were also paid Rs 10 million each.

In the coming days, the 22 families affected by the plane crash will receive compensation of Rs 222.8 million (Dh 5.043 million). This compensation is being paid in case of burning or loss of vehicles and household items.

The national flag carrier flight No PK-8303 carrying 99 onboard had gone down in a residential area of Karachi, minutes before landing at Karachi airport.

The Bank of Punjab Chief Executive Officer Zafar Masud and Engineer Muhammad Zubair had miraculously escaped in the accident.

The legal heirs of all the passengers of the PIA plane crash are now being paid Rs 10 million per passenger in the form of insurance. Earlier, PIA also paid Rs 1 million (Dh 22,699) per passenger in the category of funeral and burial.

Insurance money

A PIA spokesperson told Gulf News as a result of the airline’s CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik the insurance money to be paid to each passenger has been increased from Rs5 million (Dh 113,495) to Rs 10 million (Dh 226,991).

After long and tiresome negotiation, the insurance company has now agreed to pay the compensation amount to each of the passengers, the spokesperson said.

The increased insurance amount is in addition to the amount already paid to the passengers’ families.

Work in this regard has been completed and a succession certificate is now awaited from the legal heirs. Letters have also been sent to the heirs in this regard. Besides payment to the victims the PIA has also given six-months rent to 22 affected families on the land while the families of all 97 have already been paid Rs 1 million each. A woman who died on the ground was paid Rs 1 million and three injured were paid Rs 5 million each.

The payment of compensation has been initiated after the settlement between the Pakistan International Airlines and the insurance company.