A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 passenger plane carrying more than 100 people today crashed into a residential area of Karachi and killing everyone on board.
Witnesses said the flight from Lahore had made three failed attempts to land at Jinnah International Airport before ploughing into the Model Colony area of the city on a fourth landing attempt.
The pilot also told air traffic control that he had lost one his engines and he made a final mayday call before the crash. The mayor of Karachi said that all of the 99 passengers and eight crew aboard the flight died in the crash.
Plumes of billowing smoke smothered the skyline after the Pakistan International Airlines plane smashed into the poor and densely populated area of Model Colony that is two miles from the airport.
Burning rubble and debris is strewn across the area as hospitals ready themselves for a flurry of victims and the Pakistani Army desperately hunts for survivors. The Prime Minister has pledged to hold an ‘immediate inquiry’ into the crash.
The Airbus had been flying from Lahor to Jinnah, which usually takes 90 minutes, before it went down in the Model Colony area as it began its final approach to land at Karachi airport.
Emergency responders spray the wreckage of the Airbus A320 after it crashed into houses in the densely populated Model Colony area of Karchi
A wrecked door from the plane is seen in the residential area of Karachi Model Colony where the Airbus A320 crashed
Photos of burning rubble were circulated online in the immediate aftermath of the crash (left) as the Pakistani army is pictured above right rescuing a young child covered in ash
The battered remains of the plane’s engine can be seen above mere moments after the crash
Fire brigade staff use jet hoses to put out the fire
Plumes of smoke billow after the Pakistan International Airlines plane smashed into the residential area
The plane had been flying from Lahor to Jinnah, which usually takes 90 minutes, before it went down in the Model Colony area as it began its final approach to land at Karachi airport
The Airbus A320 operated by state airline Pakistan International had 99 passengers and eight crew were on board. An aircraft of the same model is pictured
A burning car in the aftermath of the crash sits among rubble (left) as plumes of smoke billow in the air (right)
The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume
A resident of the area, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the aircraft circle at least three times, appearing to try to land before it crashed into several houses.
The captain’s final conversation with air traffic control revealed the plane had ‘lost’ an engine before it was cleared to land on a runway as an emergency.
The pilot repeatedly cried ‘mayday’ as he was given permission to land on either runway just seconds before crash.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources said the captain had reported a technical fault before the plane vanished from the radar.
They told News One that communication with the plane was cut off one minute before it was scheduled to touch down.
Video footage has appeared online that appears to show the plane circling low in the air before the collision, while another shows the flaming aftermath of the crash as panicking residents shout over each other amid plumes of billowing smoke and rubble.
A PIA spokesman said: ‘The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem.
‘He was told from the final approach that both the runways were ready where he can land, but the pilot decided that he wanted to do (a) go-round… It is a very tragic incident.’
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted: ‘Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. 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.’
The crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.
Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the crash. The flight typically takes an hour and a half from the northeastern city of Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, to Karachi.
Airworthiness documents showed the plane last received a government check on Nov. 1, 2019. PIA’s chief engineer signed a separate certificate April 28 saying all maintenance had been conducted on the plane and that ‘the aicraft is fully airworthy and meets all the safety’ standards.
The jet has been indentified by tracking website flightradar24.com as a 15-year-old Airbus A320,
Hospital staff prepare to receive the victims of the passenger plane crash
Ambulances arrive at the scene ready to rush victims to hospital
Police have also been spotted blasting water on the charred remains of the aircraft
A plume of smoke is seen in the aftermath of the crash
The Pakistan military tweeted that security forces had been deployed to the area and helicopters were being used to survey the damage and help ongoing rescue operations.
The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume.
Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
In 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote northern to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.
PIA, one of the world’s leading airlines until the 1970s, now suffers from a sinking reputation due to frequent cancellations, delays and financial troubles. It has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013.
The crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.