Afghan 737 Missing With 96 Passengers

(Kabul, Afghanistan) According to an airline official, an Afghan plane with 96 or more passengers aboard was unable to land at Kabul due to a snowstorm and was turned away. It is now missing. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan has stated that there is no evidence to indicate that the Afghan Kam Air flight from Herat to Kabul entered Pakistani airspace. The pilot of the plane contacted Peshawar airport in Pakistan after being turned away, but there has been no communication since.

[Update 0500 EST, 2/4/05]

According to the International Herald Tribune, the Boeing 737-200 disappeared from radar just a few miles east of Kabul and search and rescue operations have been initiated. Of the 96 passengers, seven are foreigners including three female American health workers from Management Sciences for Health, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm.. The eight-man crew is comprised of six Russians and two Afghans.

Companion post at Our Life.