PIA plane crashes in Karachi’s Model Colony, some survivors

Karachi (HRNW) A PIA plane crashed in Karachi’s Model Colony Friday afternoon.

The plane was traveling from Lahore to Karachi. There were a total of 107 people on board, 99 passengers and eight crew members.

By 5:22pm news emerged of 17 bodies taken to JPMC. According to Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director and head of Emergency Services, six injured residents of the colony have been brought in. Two have burn injuries, the rest are stable, she said. Space then ran out at the JPMC morgue.

A fire had broken out with the crash. By approximately 4:30pm the blaze was put out. Tankers were sent by the water board. Ambulances have arrived as well.

Zafar Mehmood, the president of Bank of Punjab, survived the crash. He was taken to Combined Military Hospital, Malir. Other people have been taken there as well. It is being said that two passengers who were in the first row of seats may have also survived. However, this is unconfirmed news.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah inquired after Mehmood at a private hospital, where he was taken soon after the crash. The Bank of Punjab president was said to be in a stable condition. The chief minister directed officials extend all-possible assistance to residents whose houses were damaged in the crash.

The plane was about to land at the Karachi airport. The flight number is PK-8303. The aviation division has confirmed the crash and said it was an A-320. The PIA CEO said the pilot’s last message was that there was a technical fault. He was told that the two runways were ready. He wanted to turn around. CEO Arshad Malik is on the way to Karachi and will visit the crash site.

At 2:34pm the plane was at a height of 275ft when it decided to land. But then it went up again. At 2:40pm, when the height was at 525ft, the connection with the plane was lost. Aviation expert Zafar Iqbal said: It’s suspected that there was structural damage to the place. It might have been a bird or something else.

It hit six houses while crashing. Electricity has been cut off in the area. The plane crashed in Model Colony near Malir Cantt Gate 2.

The plane was not flying at a great height as it was preparing to land. It hit the houses, causing their roofs to collapse. According to the Aviation Division, the pilot had given an emergency signal to the airport.