KARACHI (REUTERS, AFP) - A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with around 100 passengers and crew crashed on Friday (May 22) in a residential area of the southern city of Karachi, with several feared dead, officials said.
The state carrier said flight PK 8303 had crashed with 99 passengers and eight crew members on board, though civil aviation officials said the total for both may be 99.
“The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem,” PIA spokesman Abdullah H. Khan said in a video statement. “It is a very tragic incident."
A senior civil aviation official told Reuters it appeared the plane was unable to open its wheels due to a technical fault prior to landing, however, it was too early to determine the cause.
Geo TV broadcaster showed crowds near the scene, which appeared to be a densely populated area, and ambulances trying to make their way through.
Black smoke billowed and several cars were on fire.
The Pakistani army said its quick reaction force and paramilitary troops had reached the site for relief and rescue efforts alongside civil administration bodies.
Abdul Sattar Khokhar, spokesman for the country’s aviation authority, said that the flight was coming from Lahore.
Khokhar added that the aircraft was an Airbus A320 and was en route to Karachi.
Visuals from the crash site. #pakistan #pia #karachi pic.twitter.com/o0gVfH54kK
— Zoraiz Bangash (@ZoraizBangash) May 22, 2020
#BREAKING#pakistan flight from #Lahore to #Karachi has crashed in Jinnah Garden it was carrying around 100 people including crew members & reports are crashed into 3 to 4 house.#Pakistani#flight pic.twitter.com/fsSUEwtvJv
— Rahul kumawat (@Rahul_kmwt) May 22, 2020
The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
In 2016, a PIA plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed, killing more than 40 people.
The latest crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, with several travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.