Survivor recalls horror of PIA aircraft crash that killed 97
Turbulence, warnings before plane crash, says survivor Zubir; 9 bodies had been identified, while 47 relatives had come forward to provide DNA samples for tests; black box found; Pakistani model Zara presumed dead
One of the two people to survive a plane crash in Pakistan that killed 97 people on board has described jumping from the burning wreckage of the aircraft after it hurtled into a residential neighbourhood.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane came down among houses on Friday after both engines failed as it approached Karachi airport, the airline said.
Its wings sliced through rooftops, sending flames and plumes of smoke into the air as it crashed onto a street, sparking a rescue operation that lasted until the early hours of Saturday.
The 97 victims had been on the plane, the provincial health ministry said, while four people on the ground were injured after earlier reports on Friday suggested some residents had been killed by the crash. When the plane jolted violently, Mohammad Zubair thought it was turbulence. Then the pilot came on the intercom to warn that the landing could be “troublesome.”
In a telephone interview from his hospital bed, Zubair, a mechanical engineer, said flight PK8303 had taken off on time from the eastern city of Lahore at 1pm. It was a smooth, uneventful flight until the aircraft began its descent near Karachi shortly before 3pm. “Suddenly the plane jerked violently, once and then again,” said Zubair. The aircraft turned and the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. They were experiencing engine trouble and the landing could be “troublesome,” the pilot said. That was the last thing Zubair remembered until he woke up in a scene of chaos.
“I saw so much smoke and fire. I heard people crying, children crying.”
“After it hit and I regained consciousness, I saw fire everywhere and no one was visible,” Zubair, 24, said from his hospital bed in a video clip circulated on social media.
“The cries were everywhere and everybody was trying to survive. I undid my seat belt and I saw some light and tried to walk towards it. Then I jumped out.” Zubair had suffered burns but was in a stable condition, a health ministry official said. The airline named the other survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masud.
At least 19 bodies had been identified, while 47 relatives had come forward to provide DNA samples for tests. The first funerals were also underway, with many more to come.
“The black box had been found late yesterday, we are handing it over to the inquiry board,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said. He said that included both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
Pakistani model Zara Abid was also onboard PK 830. Reports of her demise started circulating on social media on Friday night; Frieha Altaf was one of the first to share the tragic news on Twitter: However, Abid’s brother, Daani was still waiting on an official update from the authorities then.
“They aren’t telling us anything. I’m at Jinnah hospital, in the emergency section where they are bringing all the victims. They just said that some people have been brought in, some have burned, just this. Zara [so far] is neither in the burned ones nor... they aren’t telling us anything,” he had shared.
“He was supposed to come last Friday but had to postpone,” said Jehanzeb Baloch at the burial of his nephew, Major Shaheryar Baloch, who died along with his wife and two children.
The family had been returning to Karachi for the Eid holiday. Several members of the armed forces were on the plane, the military said.
“Eid has become meaningless not only for Karachi but the whole of Pakistan,” said Zia-ul Huq Qamar, who lives near the crash site.
Shahbaz Hussain said his mother, who was also among the victims, had been flying back to Karachi after becoming stranded by the lockdown in Lahore while visiting her daughters.
A PIA spokesperson said air traffic control lost contact with the plane travelling from Lahore to Karachi just after 2:30 pm (0930 GMT).
The pilot made a desperate mayday call after announcing “we have lost engines,” according to an audio recording confirmed by the airline.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the captain, Sajjad Gull, had been described by the airline as a senior A320 pilot with extensive flight experience. “The pilot did his best to bring the plane to the runway and tried hard to contain damages,” Khan said Saturday.