A passenger plane belonging to state-run
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has crashed near the southern port city of Karachi.
Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar has travelled to the scene and said there were no survivors.
The aircraft arriving from the eastern city of Lahore was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, authorities said.
Witnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport.
The area, known as Model Colony, is a poor area and is densely inhabited.
A resident, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the aircraft circle at least three times, appearing to try to land at the airport before it crashed into several houses.
Police and soldiers have cordoned off the area.
Prime minister Imran Khan tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened”.
He wrote: “Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.”Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now. Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 22, 2020Local television reports showed smoke coming from the direction of the airport and video of the plane flying low over a residential area seemed to show flames
shooting from one of the engines.
Ambulances were on their way to the airport and there were reports of some injuries, possibly residents on the ground.
The flight typically takes an hour and a half to travel from Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, to Karachi.
Airworthiness documents showed the plane last received a government check on November 1.
PIA’s chief engineer signed a separate certificate on April 28 saying all maintenance had been conducted on the plane and it was “fully airworthy and meets all the safety” standards.Related... Pensioner Arrested In Pakistan Over Cold Case 2005 Murder Of PC Sharon Beshenivsky