Model Zara Abid presumed dead in PIA plane crash

Model Zara Abid was onboard PK 8303 which crashed in Karachi on its way from Lahore yesterday.

Earlier this morning, Sindh health officials named the only two survivors from the 99 passengers present on the PIA A320, who have been identified as Zubair and Zafar Masood. 97 have been confirmed dead.

Reports of her demise started circulating on social media last night; Frieha Altaf was one of the first to share the tragic news on Twitter:

However, Abid's brother, Daani was still waiting on an official update from the authorities then.

"They aren't telling us anything. I'm at Jinnah hospital, in the emergency section where they are bringing all the victims. They just said that some people have been brought in, some have burned, just this. Zara [so far] is neither in the burned ones nor... they aren't telling us anything," he had shared.

Zara Abid became a popular name in Pakistan's fashion fraternity winning Best Female Model just this year at the Hum Style Awards.

Abid had worked with every top designer in the industry, starting her career with Sana Safinaz and was gearing up for her cinematic debut in Azeem Sajjad's Chaudhry.

PK 8303 was carrying 91 passengers and 8 crew members from Lahore to Karachi, when it crashed in the residential area of Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport. Eyewitnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near the airport.