There were 91 passengers and seven crew members on the plane.
3 min read
A Pakistani Airlines passenger jet has crashed near the Karachi Airport Friday.
All 91 passengers and seven crew members on board are feared dead, a PIA official told ABC News.
The Airbus 320 was traveling from Lahore to Karachi when it crashed. The aircraft appears to have gone down in a residential neighborhood.
A military official told ABC News that their teams are on ground searching for bodies from the plane and the houses. The official said it’s too early to know how many people were in their homes at the time of the crash.
As well as the search and rescue teams, Major General Babar Iftikhar, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces, said that military helicopters had flown to the scene “for damage assessment and rescue efforts.”
In a video shot by an eyewitness, a huge cloud of black smoke can be seen rising from the crash site from a Karachi suburb.
Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, promised a full investigation into the crash, which came just days after the country resumed commercial domestic flights.
“Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash,” he said in a statement. “Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now. Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
