A Pakistan International Airlines jet crashed with 107 people on board in the area close to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Friday, the Civil Aviation Authority said. The PK 8303 flight, which was flying from Lahore to Karachi, had 91 passengers and 8 crew members on board, the CAA said, according to Bloomberg. The Pakistan Army's Twitter handle mentioned that the troops arrived at the site of the Airbus crash for relief and rescue work.
A representative of the CAA could not confirm the number of casualties yet and mentioned that they are waiting for further information. The flight crashed into a residential area called Model Colony, footages showed smoke rising from the site where the crash happened. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan took to his Twitter handle to offer condolences for the families of the deceased and stated that he is in touch with the PIA CEO Arshad Malik.
"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 the ground as this is the priority right now. Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased," PM Khan tweet reads.
Technical Snag
As per Pakistani news Agency Dawn, Arshad Malik stated that pilot had called the control room to inform about a technical snag. Even though two runways were kept ready, the pilot decided to go around instead of landing.
"Saying anything right now would be premature. Our crew is trained to handle emergency landings. All my prayers are with the families. We will continue to provide information in a transparent manner," the Dawn quoted the PIA spokesperson Hafeez.
(This is a developing story and the timeline will be updated soon)
