Pakistan plane crash: Dozens killed after passenger jet crashes near Karachi airport

Ewan Somerville22 May 2020

Dozens have been killed after a passenger plane crashed near Karachi Airport in Pakistan.

Pakistan International Airlines flight PK303 was on its final approach to the runway after making the 90-minute journey from the eastern city of Lahore when it crashed into buildings.

Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, speaking from the crash site, said all 98 passengers and crew on board had been killed, but civil aviation officials later said at least two people survived.

Mr Akhtar said at least five or six houses were destroyed in the crash, but it was not immediately known how many casualties there were in the residential area.

Local television channels showed a large number of people crowded at the crash site surrounded by plumes of black smoke and damaged buildings.

The plane crashed in a heavily populated district of the city
AFP via Getty Images

They reported that at least 11 bodies were recovered from the crash site and six people were injured. It was not immediately clear if the casualties were passengers.

Witnesses said the Airbus A320 attempted to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport, one of Pakistan's busiest transport hubs.

A transmission of the pilot's final exchange with air traffic control, posted on the website LiveATC.net, indicated he had failed to land and was circling around to make another attempt.

"We are proceeding direct, sir - we have lost engine," a pilot said.

"Confirm your attempt on belly," the air traffic controller said, offering a runway.

"Sir - mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday Pakistan 8303," the pilot said before the transmission ended.

The suburb where the plane crashed on the edge of the airport, known as Model Colony, is a poor area and densely populated.

At least five or six buildings were destroyed in the suburb where the plane crashed
TWITTER/SHAHABNAFEES via REUTERS

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted: "Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. . . Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased."

Local 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.

Safety documents said the plane last received a Government inspection on November 1, Associated Press reported.

Pakistan has seen two other fatal crashes in the past six years
AFP via Getty Images

The news agency reported that PIA's chief engineer signed a separate certificate on April 28 saying maintenance was complete ans the plane was "fully airworthy and meets all the safety" standards.

It is the third fatal plane disaster in Pakistan in the past six years.

In December 2016, a domestic flight from Chitral to the capital Islamabad plunged into a hillside, killing all 47 passengers and crew.

In 2014, one passenger died when an Airbus A310 from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was hit with gunfire near Peshwar in Pakistan

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