Plane crashes in Pakistan with 107 on board

A Pakistan International Airlines flight on Friday crashed in a residential area in Karachi with 107 people on board, just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume.

Images aired on national television showed the Pakistan International Airlines flight had smashed into a residential area today, with clouds of thick black smoke billowing from the site.

The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members, said Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for the country’s aviation authority, adding that the flight was coming from Lahore.

There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties but officials said they feared many dead.

The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem, PIA spokesman Abdullah H. Khan said in a video statement. It is a very tragic incident.

Witnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport.

The residential area on the edge of the airport known as Model Colony is a poor area and heavily congested.

A resident of the area, Abdul Rahman, said he saw the aircraft circle at least three times, appearing to try to land at the airport before it crashed into several houses.

It comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.

In 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote northern to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.

The 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.