37 dead as PIA plane crashes in Karachi

Karachi, May 22

At least 37 persons have died as a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 107 on board crashed into a densely populated residential area near the Jinnah International Airport here on Friday, officials said. Flight PK-8303 from Lahore was about to land in Karachi when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, just a minute before its landing, they said.

Sindh health department said that 37 people have been confirmed dead so far. However, it was not immediately clear if the deceased were from the crashed plane or the area where the crash took place, the Dawn newspaper reported. Sindh Health Minister Azra Pechuho said that there are three survivors.

President of the Bank of Punjab Zafar Masood survived the crash. He called up his mother to inform her of his well-being.

Saad Edhi, a spokesperson of the Edhi welfare trust, said that around 25 to 30 residents whose houses were damaged by the plane have also been taken to the hospital, mostly with burn wounds.

According to the PIA official, the captain informed the air traffic control that he was having problems with the landing gear before the aircraft disappeared from the radar.

The major plane crash took place nearly a week after commercial flights were resumed on a limited scale amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, while expressing deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives as a result of the PIA passenger plane crash in Karachi, has ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident.

Rescue and police officials confirmed that at least four bodies have been recovered from damaged houses so far while several injured people were also being taken to hospitals.

The plane lost contact with the airport at 2.37 PM (local time). PIA Chairman Arshad Malik said that the pilot told the control tower about having a technical problem. The pilot was informed that two airports were available for landing he decided to go for a round and crashed. The PIA aircraft was flown by Captain Sajjad Gul.

This is the first major aircraft crash in Pakistan after December 7, 2016 when a PIA ATR-42 aircraft from Chitral to Islamabad crashed midway. The crash claimed the lives of all 48 passengers and crew, including singer-cum-evangelist Junaid Jamshed. PTI