Plane crash survivor: ‘So much smoke’

At least 97 people died when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A230 crashed into a crowded neighbourhood near Karachi’s international airport yesterday. Just two passengers survived. One of them, mechanical engineer Mohammad Zubair, speaking from his hospital bed, said the plane suddenly ‘‘jerked violently’’ during its descent and the pilot warned the landing could be ‘‘troublesome’’.

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.’’

He crawled his way out of the smoke and rubble and was rushed to hospital.

The Airbus A230 was carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members. Many of the passengers were families returning home ahead of Eid-al Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

In his final exchange with air traffic control, the pilot said he had ‘‘lost engine’’.