Pakistan International Airlines plane crashes with more than 100 people on board
Jessica Schladebeck
A Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane was carrying more than 100 people when it crashed shortly before arriving at its destination on Friday.
Flight PK303 lifted off from the Pakistani city of Lahore and was scheduled to touch down around 2:30 p.m. local time in Karachi — but it vanished from the radar at the tail end of the 90-minute domestic flight, Pakistan International Airlines spokesperson Abdullah Khan told CNN.
The pilot sent a mayday call, expressing concern over technical problems, before the Airbus 320 crashed down in a neighborhood called Jinnah Gardens, which is located near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.
Several witnesses said it appeared the plane attempted to land multiple times before it finally plummeted downward.
“He had been told both landing strips were available for his use but he preferred to use the go-around landing route, we are looking into technical issues," Khan said. “Our prayers for the lives that have been lost.”
Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020. An aviation official says a passenger plane belonging to state-run Pakistan International Airlines carrying more than 100 passengers and crew crashed near the southern port city of Karachi on Friday. At least 11 people have been killed.
Volunteers cover the deceased body of a plane crash victim at the site of the crash in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020. The flight had taken off from Lahore before crashing into the neighborhood of Model Colony.
Rescue workers search for victims at the site after a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft crashed at a residential area in Karachi on May 22, 2020. Pakistan International Airlines chairman Arshad Malik noted on Friday that the plane's pilot had reported having technical issues prior to its crash.
Residents of an area hit by a plane crash wait for medical help in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020.
Volunteers carry an injured person away from the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020.
Firefighters douse the wreckage of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft after it crashed at a residential area in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
Rescue workers search for victims at the site of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft crash in a residential area in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
A man helps injured victims after a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed in a residential neighborhood in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
Rescue work is in progress at the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020.
A man checks a part of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft after it crashed in a residential area in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
Rescue workers arrive at the site of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft crash in a residential area in Karachi on May 22, 2020.
Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on May 22, 2020.
While there has been no official word on fatalities, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted condolences “to the families of the deceased.”
The nation’s Aviation Ministry said the flight was carrying 99 passengers and 8 crew members.
Video footage from the crash site shared online showed skies thick with black smoke and emergency crews working to navigate rubble and debris scattered across what appears to be a highly populated, residential neighborhood.
The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume since they were grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic.
