A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Friday, one minute before landing, reports Geo TV.
According to the reports, the PIA flight PK-8303 travelling from Lahore was about to land in Karachi’s Jinnah international airport when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, karachi. It is estimated that at close to 100 passengers and crew members were inside the aircraft when it went down over a residential area.
Dark plumes of smoke seen near the crash site. #PIA #ModelColony #MalirCantt #Karachi pic.twitter.com/bLBCmG1dXf
— Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) May 22, 2020
Reportedly, several houses in Karachi have also been damaged in the incident. The Pakistan Army, Rangers and Police units have arrived at the scene. An emergency has been declared at Jinnah Hospital. Casualties are expected to go up as the crash site is in a civilian area.
As per latest reports, the PIA has released a list of all the passengers who were inside the aircraft. 51 men, 31 women and 9 children were onboard when the tragic incident happened.
Plane Crash Site in #Karachi pic.twitter.com/VKbV3aTZMY
— Mansoor Ali Khan (@_Mansoor_Ali) May 22, 2020
PIA CEO Arshad Malik said that the pilot, in his last words, had communicated to the control tower that there was a technical fault with the aircraft. It is reported that 91 passengers and 7 crew members were on board.
Pakistani media has reported that there are some survivors but the exact numbers are not clear yet.
(This is a developing story. The report will be updated when additional information is available)
