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Pakistani airliner crashes near Karachi airport with 99 aboard Pakistani airliner crashes near Karachi airport with 99 aboard; at least 2 survive
(about 4 hours later)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A passenger plane with 99 people on board crashed near the Karachi airport, Pakistani civil aviation said. It is unclear whether there were any survivors on the Pakistan International Airlines flight, officials said. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least two people survived the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines plane near the Karachi airport Friday, according to Pakistani officials. The Airbus A320, which had 99 people aboard, struck a nearby residential neighborhood after experiencing a mechanical failure, an airline official said.
The Airbus A320 plane was carrying 91 passengers and eight crew, according to a statement from Lahore airport, its point of departure. Civil aviation officials previously said 107 people were on board. In the moments before the crash, the flight’s captain radioed to report difficulties with the landing gear. The pilot then attempted an emergency landing, but the maneuver damaged a fuel tank and sent the plane careering into the nearby neighborhood, according to the airline official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to comment to the media.
Aviation officials said they have no information regarding survivors, but local media reported that some of the people believed to have been on board have contacted their families. Several people in the residential area where the plane crashed also appeared to have been injured. Video from the scene shows a crowd of men carrying a survivor through a narrow alley strewn with debris. Behind them, what appears to be part of the aircraft’s fuselage is wedged between a house and a car, billowing smoke.
The Pakistani army dispatched search and rescue teams, including helicopters to the scene. Aviation officials had previously said 107 people were aboard the flight from Lahore to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.
Images and video uploaded to social media showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from what appeared to be the crash site in a residential area. There was still no official word late Friday on the cause of the crash. The Pakistani army mounted a search-and-rescue effort, and helicopters were dispatched to the crash site to transport survivors.
The Airbus was traveling from Lahore to Karachi and crashed as it began to land at the Karachi airport, according to a civil aviation statement.
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A senior civil aviation official, Abdul Sattat Khokhar, who is the spokesman for the crash response, said there is no official word yet on survivors. He also said it was too early to comment on the cause of the crash. “So far i can confirm that 2 passengers on board the PIA plane have miraculously survived the crash,” Murtaza Wahab, a spokesman for Sindh province, where Karachi is located, said in a tweet. He said both were in stable condition.
“As of now, rescue efforts are ongoing. However an inquiry has been launched,” he said. A second local official, Syed Nasir Shah, also told Pakistani state television that at least two people had survived.
The Pakistani army is leading search and rescue operations. Teams, including helicopters to transport the wounded were dispatched to the crash site. Abdul Sattat Khokhar, a senior civil aviation official serving as the spokesman for the crash response, said: “As of now, rescue efforts are ongoing. However an inquiry has been launched.”
A prominent Pakistani journalist and the president of one of the country’s largest banks were aboard the flight, and their families reported that they survived the crash, according to local media reports.A prominent Pakistani journalist and the president of one of the country’s largest banks were aboard the flight, and their families reported that they survived the crash, according to local media reports.
Local media also reported that more than two dozen residents of the neighborhood where the plane crashed were being treated for injuries at local hospitals. Local media also reported that more than two dozen residents of Model Colony, the poor, congested residential area where the plane crashed, were being treated for injuries at hospitals.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement shortly after reports of the crash began to emerge. He said he expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the lives lost and directed all relevant departments to extend relief, rescue efforts and medical aid to injured. He ordered an immediate investigation into the crash. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement shortly after the first reports of the crash emerged. He expressed his deep sorrow over the lives lost and said he had directed all relevant departments to extend relief, rescue efforts and medical aid to the injured. He also ordered an immediate investigation.
Khan also tweeted that the airline’s CEO was headed to Karachi to oversee rescue and relief efforts. Khan tweeted that the airline’s CEO was headed to Karachi to oversee rescue and relief efforts.
The crash occurred just days after domestic flights resumed in Pakistan as coronavirus-related lockdown restrictions were being lifted. The next few days are expected to be a busy travel time in Pakistan, as the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan is set to fall this weekend and is traditionally celebrated by visiting relatives. The crash occurred just days after domestic flights resumed in Pakistan as coronavirus-related restrictions were being lifted. The next few days are expected to be a busy travel time in Pakistan, as the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan falls this weekend and is traditionally celebrated by visiting relatives.
Pakistan International Airlines, the national carrier known as PIA, has long had a poor safety record. In 2016, a PIA domestic flight traveling from Chitral to Islamabad crashed, killing all 48 passengers and crew on board. And last year, a PIA flight landing at a small airport in the country’s north crashed after skidding off the runway. All passengers survived, but the plane was heavily damaged. Pakistan International Airlines has long had a poor safety record. In 2016, a PIA domestic flight traveling from Chitral to Islamabad crashed, killing all 48 passengers and crew members aboard. And last year, a PIA flight landing at a small airport in the country’s north crashed after skidding off the runway. All passengers survived, but the plane was severely damaged.
Witnesses said the airliner appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport, the Associated Press reported. Known as Model Colony, the residential area on the edge of the airport is a poor, heavily congested area. Witnesses of Friday’s disaster said the airliner appeared to attempt to land two or three times before it crashed in Model Colony, the Associated Press reported.
A resident, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the aircraft circle at least three times, appearing to try to land before it crashed into several houses, according to the AP. Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six houses were destroyed in the crash, the AP said.
The area was cordoned off by police and military personnel, and firefighters sprayed water on smoldering wreckage. Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad and Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report.
Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six houses were destroyed in the crash, the AP said, but it was not immediately clear whether residents were among the casualties. In glistening new airport, Pakistan sees ticket to reviving the country’s prestige
The civil aviation authority said the pilot reported an emergency shortly before the crash, saying he had lost an engine. Video of the Airbus flying low appeared to show one of its engines on fire.
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