A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft more than hundred passengers onboard crashed in a residential area while landing at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
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PIA A320 crashes in Model Colony near Karachi airport
The flight PK-8303 took off from Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport to Karachi Jinnah International Airport and crashed in Model Colony area in Malir, approximately 4 kilometers away from the Karachi airport.
Images aired on television showed the Pakistan International Airlines flight had smashed into a residential area, with clouds of thick black smoke billowing from the site.
The state carrier said flight PK 8303 had crashed with 99 passengers and eight crew members on board, though civil aviation officials said the total for both may be 99.
“The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem,” PIA spokesman Abdullah H Khan said in a video statement. “It is a very tragic incident.”
According to witnesses, four houses have been damaged in the incident. Five dead bodies have also been retrieved and a rescue-and-recovery operation is still underway.
Army, Rangers and Police units have arrived at the scene. Emergency has been declared at Jinnah Hospital.
LIST OF PASSENGERS ONBOARD PIA FLIGHT PK-8303:
The crash occurred just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pakistan has a chequered aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
In 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote northern to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.
The crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, with many traveling back to their homes in cities and villages.
Source: Dunya News
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