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PAKISTAN-AVIATION LEAD
Pakistan passenger plane crashes in residential area
KARACHI, May 22, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A Pakistan passenger plane with
more than 100 people believed to be on board crashed in the southern
city of Karachi on Friday, the country’s aviation authority said.
Images aired on national television showed the Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA) flight had smashed into a residential
area, 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.
Khokhar added that the aircraft was an Airbus A320 and was en route
to Karachi.
The Pakistan military later tweeted that security forces had been
deployed to the area and helicopters were being used to survey the
damage and help ongoing rescue operations.
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.
PIA, one of the world’s leading airlines until the 1970s, now
suffers from a sinking reputation due to frequent cancellations,
delays and financial troubles. It has been involved in numerous
controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot
in Britain in 2013.
The crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to
celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with
many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages.
BSS/AFP/MRU/1730hrs