Pakistan: Two of the 98 on board survive as aircraft crashes in Karachi’s residential area

Expressing shock over the incident, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said rescue and relief teams were on the ground and an immediate inquiry would be instituted. He also gave his condolences to the families of the deceased. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

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.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 22, 2020

Deeply saddened by the loss of life due to a plane crash in Pakistan. Our condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishing speedy recovery to those injured.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 22, 2020

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Footage shared on social media shows smoke billowing from the site of the crash. Ambulances and rescue officials have been pressed into service to help residents. According to reports, several houses and cars have been damaged in the area where the aircraft crashed. Videos from the crash site, as per Dawn, showed bodies buried underneath rubble and residents gathering in streets littered with debris.

Terrible, terrible news!

Pakistan International Airlines plane with 91 people onboard has crashed in a residential area in Karachi. pic.twitter.com/pMkXDraqbs

— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) May 22, 2020

‘Mayday, Mayday’

According to a recording posted on monitoring website liveatc.net, the pilot sent a Mayday and told controllers that the aircraft had lost power from both its engines on its second attempt to land, news agency Reuters reported. After the aircraft reportedly called off an earlier attempt to land and went around for a second attempt, a controller radioed the pilot that he appeared to be turning left, suggesting he was off-course. The pilot replied, “We are returning back, sir, we have lost engines,” and the controller cleared the plane to land on either of Karachi airport’s two West-Southwest-facing runways.

Read | ‘We have lost an engine’: Pakistan plane pilot’s last distress call before crash

Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 22, 2020. (AP Photo)

Twelve seconds later the pilot called “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” and was again cleared to use either runway. There was no further communication from the aircraft, according to the audio from liveatc.net, a respected source for in-flight recordings.

Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 22, 2020. (AP Photo)

66 dead, rescue ops underway

According to Dawn, a total of 66 people have been confirmed dead by health officials. It is, however, unclear if the deceased were all on board the flight or include area residents as well.

Faisal Edhi of the Edhi welfare told reporters that around 25 to 30 residents whose houses were damaged by the plane have also been taken to the hospital, mostly with burn wounds, PTI reported.

Ambulances and fire brigade vehicles gather at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi, Pakistan May 22, 2020. (Source: Reuters)

A statement by the Pakistan Army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Army Quick Reaction Force and Sindh Pakistan Rangers reached the spot for carrying out rescue and relief operations alongside civil administration.

Minister of Health and Population Welfare has declared emergency in all major hospitals of Karachi after the incident, Dawn news quoted Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to the Sindh health minister, as saying.

A resident of the colony, who witnessed the crash, told Ary News channel that the aircraft had fire coming from its wings which crashed into rooftops of some houses before it crash-landed.

This is the first major aircraft crash in Pakistan after December 7, 2016 when a PIA ATR-42 aircraft from Chitral to Islamabad crashed midway. The crash claimed the lives of all 48 passengers and crew.

With PTI, Dawn inputs