A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft, flying from Lahore to Karachi, crashed near the port city’s airport in the densely populated area of Model Colony on Friday.
PIA flight PK8303 had 99 passengers and eight crew members on board during the time of the incident. The crash caused significant damage in the residential area and reportedly destroyed four houses.
“The plane PK 8303 with 99 passengers and 8 crew members has crashed,” said Abdullah Hafeez, a spokesman for the national carrier. The rescue operation in the area is in progress.
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre’s executive director Dr Seemin Jamali has confirmed that 19 bodies and fivet injured have been brought to the hospital.
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PIA’s Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik said, following the crash, that the pilot had informed air traffic control (ATC) that there was a technical issue and the pilot decided to go around rather than land. He added that two runways had been cleared for landing.
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To speed up relief and rescue efforts, the Army Urban Search and Rescue Team with special equipment and rescue specialist flown from Rawalpindi through a special C130 flight, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Ten fire tenders employed at incident site and have extinguished the fire , it added. “Military ambulances are busy in rescuing injured and providing necessary medical care.”
Earlier, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had instructed all the urban search and rescue teams to reach the crash site, a spokesperson of NDMA said.
An official said that the NDMA was in touch with the local administration, local army corps and aviation authorities, adding that immediate rescue and recovery operation was launched.
