PAK PLANE CRASHES INTO KARACHI RESIDENTIAL COLONY WITH 99 ON BOARD
57 confirmed dead, 2 survivors reported
Karachi, May 22: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane, with an estimated 99 people onboard, crashed in Karachi’s densely populated Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport on Friday. So far 57 people have been confirmed dead and two people are confirmed to have survived the crash, officials said.
It is unclear if the deceased and the survivors were onboard the flight or include area residents as well where the crash took place.
Flight PK8303, an Airbus A320 flying from Lahore with 91 passengers and eight crew, was trying to land at Jinnah International Airport when it developed a technical fault. The pilot reported a loss of engine power and subsequently issued a mayday.
Eyewitnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near the airport.
Residents near the scene said their walls shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into their neighbourhood. TV footage showed rescue crews combing through debris strewn across the streets of Model Colony. At least two passengers survived the crash, according to Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, the information minister in Sindh province. Commercial flights resumed only days ago, after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “shocked and saddened” by the crash, tweeting that he was in touch with the state airline’s chief executive. “Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased,” he wrote on Twitter.