By Stanley Ugagbe
A Pakistan International Airlines flight with 95 passengers onboard has crashed into houses in Karachi.
According to Pakistan’s Sindhnews, the plane crashed in the Model Colony area of Karachi, with 95 passengers on board.
But, subsequent reports upped the number to 107, including eight crew members, citing authorities who confirmed the incident.
Spokesman for the country’s aviation authority, Abdul Sattar Khokhar said “The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members,” adding that the flight was coming from Lahore.
Reports have it that the plane is believed to be a PIA PK 320 Airbus.
Meanwhile GeoNews quoted Civil Aviation Authority sources as saying that the crash happened near to Jinnah International Airport on Friday.
As at the time of filing this report, the mayor of Karachi said the fate of the people onboard is yet to be confirmed, but “we have the view there will be no survivors.”
A Twitter, user @YusraSAskari posted unverified footage which claimed to show the smoke coming from the crash.
We also gathered that another user shared footage reportedly showing a densely populated area of Karachi, where the plane is said to have crashed.
Records have it that Pakistan has a bad track record of airplane and helicopter crashes over the years.
Recall that in 2012, a Bhoja Airlines Karachi-Islamabad flight crashed, killing more than 125 people. It was the second deadliest aviation incident in Pakistan after the 2010 Airblue Airlines crash near Karachi killed 152 people.
We also recall that more recently, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames in 2016 after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote northern to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.
Meanwhile this most recent 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 many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.
