A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane coming from Lahore near Karachi International Airport has crashed, several people died.
According to sources, the flight of the national airline coming from Lahore to Karachi crashed on the population near the airport. The plane was carrying 91 passengers and seven crew members.
The plane crashed at 2:37 p.m., a PIA spokesman said
A PIA spokesman told media that the national airline’s flight PK8303 crashed while landing and the plane crashed at 2:37 p.m. The spokesman said that the Airbus A320 used by PIA was not very old and was about 10 to 11 years old and was fully maintained, so it would be premature to comment on the technical glitch.
The pilot called air traffic “May Day.”
Sources said that Civil Aviation has confirmed that PIA Flight 8303 lost contact with air traffic control one minute before landing. An audio recording of the last contact between the pilot and the traffic control tower also came to light in which the pilot of the plane reported an engine failure and made a May Day call, telling the pilot to land the plane. Two runways are available after which the aircraft lost contact.
The wheels of the plane did not open before landing: Sources
Civil aviation sources said that the plane had a technical malfunction and its wheels were not opening before landing, on which the flight was called round-up, but in the meantime the plane crashed on the population.
The PIA has released a list of passengers on board the crashed plane, which includes 51 men, 31 women, and nine children.
Senior journalist and Channel 24 programming director Ansar Naqvi was also on board the plane, while Bank of Punjab President Zafar Masood’s name was also included in the list of passengers.
Bank of Punjab President Zafar Masood is reported to have miraculously survived the accident.
The plane was being flown by Captain Sajjad Gul, sources said
Sources said that the captain of the plane is Sajjad Gul while the crew includes Usman Azam, Farid Ahmed, Abdul Qayyum Ashraf, Malik Irfan Rafiq, Asma and Madiha Iram. According to sources, the plane crashed into a population near Jinnah Garden near Model Colony and Malir Cantt and caught fire.
The plane crashed into a crowd near Jinnah Garden, setting houses on fire
Sources said that before the crash, the plane hit the roofs of nearby residential buildings, damaging several houses and setting fire to the roofs of the houses, while vehicles parked in the area caught fire after the crash.
After the accident, a heavy contingent of Rangers and police reached the spot and cordoned off the area while fire brigade personnel have also reached to put out the fire and fire tenders have been called from all over the city.
Rescue operations are underway at the crash site and the bodies of a 5-year-old child and a man have been recovered from the wreckage, while rescue operations are facing difficulties due to the rush.
Emergency imposed in Karachi hospitals
The provincial health minister declared an emergency in Karachi hospitals after the plane crash and directed that there should be no delay in the treatment of the injured.