Karachi, May 22, 2020: Scores of people are feared dead as a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft carrying 90 passengers and 8 crew members crashed on May 22 in Karachi.
The 20 Airbus crashed in Model Colony near Jinnah international airport Karachi, according to PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez who confirmed the crash. The crash took place a just a minute before the plane was to land. There are no reports on any survivors yet.
The PK 8303 was from coming from Lahore to Karachi.
“Saying anything right now would be premature. Our crew is trained to handle emergency landings. All my prayers are with the families. We will continue to provide information in a transparent manner,” Hafeez told reporters.
Footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the site of the crash. Ambulances and rescue officials arrived at the scene to help residents. Eyewitness told DawnNewsTV that the plane was on fire in the air before crashing. The wreckage and several houses in the area are on fire, visuals by Pakistan media showed.
Minister of Health and Population Welfare has declared emergency in all major hospitals of Karachi due to the plane crash, according to Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to the Sindh health minister.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed mobilization of all emergency services and resources as evacuation was in progress.
Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar expressed deep grief and sadness over the incident and has ordered the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board to conduct an “immediate inquiry” into the crash.
“The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members,” news agency AFP quoted Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for the country’s aviation authority, as saying.
Sources: Agencies, ndtv.com