There are fears of mass casualties after a passenger plane carrying 99 individuals crashed right into a residential space within the Pakistani metropolis of Karachi.

The Pakistan Worldwide Airways (PIA) jet, carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members, was on its closing strategy to Karachi airport when it went down in a residential space close to Mannequin Colony and disappeared from radar.

Financial institution of Punjab president Zafar Masood was among the many passengers. There are early experiences of some survivors.

A PIA spokesperson, Abdullah Hafeez, confirmed the crash, and added: “Saying something proper now could be untimely. Our crew is educated to deal with emergency landings. All my prayers are with the households. We’ll proceed to supply info in a clear method.”

The pilot reportedly known as in describing a technical fault minutes earlier than the airplane, an Airbus A320, crashed. The pilot had been knowledgeable by air site visitors management that each runways had been accessible however he had then turned the course of the airplane.

In an announcement, PIA CEO Arshad Malik stated he was going onto the location of the crash and would additional examine the technical concern reported by the pilot.

Flight PK8303 was on a home journey from Lahore and was minutes from Jinnah Worldwide airport when it crashed at about 2.45pm native time (1045 BST). Video footage from the scene exhibits billowing black smoke and folks working screaming from the scene. Native media reported that round 5 homes had caught fireplace.

Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted: “Shocked and saddened by the PIA crash. Quick inquiry can be instituted. Prayers and condolences go to households of the deceased.”

The crash comes days after home industrial flights had been resumed, following a nationwide lockdown to comprise the unfold of coronavirus.

On Friday, many in Pakistan had been travelling again to their households in cities and villages throughout the nation to have fun the tip of Ramadan and the start of Muslim vacation Eid al-Fitr.

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