Last survivor of PIA plane crash in 1965 dies

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Salahuddin Siddiqui, the last of the six survivors of the plane crash at Cairo in 1965, died in London on August 16. He was 93. He had retired from service as General Manager, Public Affairs, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), in 1980. 

He is best remembered for having miraculously escaped, besides others, as PIA’s inaugural flight (PK-705) to the Egyptian capital on May 20, 1965, crashed about 20 kilometers before the Cairo airport. 

Carrying 128 passengers, including crew members, the plane was scheduled to proceed further to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, with London, UK, being its final destination. As many as 21 journalists onboard also lost their lives. 

Only half a dozen persons had survived the crash with Salahuddin Siddiqui, who had relocated to London, being the last of them to breathe his last more than 59 years after the fateful incident. According to the family sources, he is survived by a son and a daughter. 

Meanwhile the PIA management has condoled his death, noting that, with his death, the national flag-carrier has been deprived of a great friend whose services will always be remembered.