A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane traveling from Lahore to Karachi has crashed close to Karachi airport, the civil aviation agency says. The Airbus A320 was carrying 107 passengers and crew from Lahore.
An Airbus A320 carrying more than 100 passengers has crashed into a residential area near the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, the country’s civil aviation agency says.
“The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members,” said Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for the aviation authority.
A spokesperson for the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Abdul Sattar told the newspaper Dawn that the flight was carrying 90 passengers and 8 crew members and had been due to land at Jinnah international airport from the eastern city of Lahore.
The respected daily said a rescue operation was underway and emergency workers had arrived at the scene.
There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties.
Social media uploaded by journalists showed footage showing plumes of smoke and flames rising from the site of the crash.
Initial reports suggest properties in the area were also damaged.
Local TV station Geo showed crowds near the scene which appeared to be a densely populated area and ambulances trying to make their way through.
The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume.
More to come…
Credit: www.dw.com
