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Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed in Karachi
Pakistan’s Aviation Ministry said flights from Lahore carried 99 passengers and 8 crew members.
At least 11 bodies from the scene have been taken to Jinnah Hospital, according to hospital spokesman Seemi Jamali. It is not clear whether the victims were victims from the ground or planes.
The plane dropped in a busy residential area near the airport.
Flight PK 8303 takes off from Lahore and is scheduled to land at 2:30 pm. local time in Karachi but was missing from the radar, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesman Abdullah Khan told CNN.
The pilot of an Airbus A320 aircraft making a mayday call said he was experiencing technical problems, Khan told CNN.
“He has been told that both landing routes are available for use, but he prefers to use the go-around landing route, we look into technical issues. Our prayers for lives have been lost,” Khan said.
The emergency response protocol has been activated, he added.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan posted on Twitter that he was shocked and saddened by the accident. “An immediate investigation” will be carried out, he said.
Recordings posted from the scene on social media showed flames, clouds of smoke, and roads filled with debris in what appeared to be built up areas.
Pakistan’s civil aviation authority allowed limited domestic air travel to resume on Saturday after a two-month suspension was put in place as part of efforts to curb the spread of the corona virus.
International flights are not expected to continue until June 1. Pakistan began a gradual reopening of the national Covid-19 closure on May 9.
This story has been updated to correct aircraft flight numbers.
Sophia Saifi and Adeel Raja from CNN reported from Islamabad and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London.
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