A Pakistan International Airlines jetliner carrying 98 people crashed on Friday in a congested area near the airport in Karachi after an apparent engine failure before landing. Officials said there were at least three survivors from the plane, and it was unknown how many people were hurt on the ground, at least five houses were destroyed and 25 to 30 people moved to neighborhood hospitals.

The pilot of the PIA Flight PK8303 was heard climbing the tower just a few days before the crash of the Airbus A320, which was going from Lahore to Karachi.

Volunteers carry the dead body of a plane crash victim in Karachi. AP

On social media, the video showed the jet flying from one of its engines with flames in a residential area.

Police struggled to get people wearing protective masks out of the crowded narrow streets known as the Model Colony, so ambulances could operate in poor and congested residential areas.

Police and jawans have cordoned off the area amidst smoke and dust.

Relief and rescue work is still going on. The Pakistani Armed Forces and civilian authorities are ready to recover the bodies and rescue the survivors from any mishap.

Meanwhile, the PIA has been asked to provide shelter to those whose homes were destroyed in the accident.

Pakistan resumed domestic flights earlier this week before the Eid-ul Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Pakistan has been under nationwide lockout since mid-March due to the novel coronavirus.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar initially said that all the people were killed, but an official from the state health ministry later told Dawn that at least three people survived the crash. He identified the survivors as Zubair, Tahira and Zafar Masood, president of Bank of Punjab.

Local TV stations reported that at least 35 bodies were recovered from the accident site and six people were injured. It was not immediately clear if the passengers were casualties. Authorities could not give details of the casualties among the residents of the Model Colony area, which was in the grip of the accident.

Rescue work is in progress at the site of a plane crash in Karachi. AP

The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan said that the aircraft had a crew of 91 passengers and seven. Earlier, the airport in the northeastern city of Lahore said 107 were onboard. Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdul Sattar Kochhar said the anomaly was due to confusion in the chaotic situation after the accident.

A broadcast of the pilot's final exchange with air traffic control, posted on the website LiveATC.net, indicated that he had failed to land and was circling around to make another attempt.

One pilot said, "We are heading straight, sir - we have lost the engine."

"Confirm your attempt at traffic," the air traffic controller said, offering a runway.

Before the transmission ended the pilot said, "Sir - May, May, May, May, Sunday, Pakistan, 833".

Witnesses said Airbus aircraft appeared to be trying to land two or three times.

Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan. AP

Abdul Rahman, a resident of the area, said he saw the plane cycle at least three times, trying to land before crashing into several homes.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted: "Shocked and saddened by the PIA accident ... an immediate inquiry will be launched. Prayers and condolences go to the families of the deceased."

Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accident. Flights from the northeastern city of Lahore usually last about an hour and a half.

Aircraft related documents revealed that the aircraft had last received a government check on November 1, 2019. The PIA chief engineer signed a separate certificate on 28 April, stating that all maintenance was done. It states that "the aircraft is fully airborne and meets all security".

Airbus A320 ownership records showed that China Eastern Airlines flew the aircraft from 2004 to 2014. Plain entered the PIA fleet, which was leased from GE Capital Aviation Services.

According to FlightRadar 24, the Airbus aircraft first flew in 2004 and were equipped with engines manufactured by CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and Saffran of France. It was on its sixth flight after returning to service following the grounding of the wider airline industry in March due to the website coronovirus crisis.

A spokesman for GE, Perry Bradley, said the firm is "aware of the accident report and is closely monitoring the situation".

In Pakistan's most recent accident, in 2016, 47 people were killed when a PIA jet fell into a hill in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The country's worst plane crash took place in 2010, when 152 people died in an AirBlue flight accident near Islamabad.

The Health and Population Welfare Minister has declared an emergency in all the major hospitals in Karachi after the incident.

The incident occurred on the day when Pakistan's Ministry of Interior announced Eid holidays from 22 to 27 May.

With inputs from PTI

Updated Date: May 22, 2020 21:59:39 IST

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