A Pakistani passenger airline has crashed in the southern city of Karachi, while attempting to make a landing.
The doomed airplane took off on Friday from the city of Lahore and was heading towards Karachi, when suddenly a final mayday call was made by the pilot.
Pakistani officials have reported that only two survivors had been pulled alive, fearing the death toll to rise significantly.point 363 |
Although rescue operations were still underway, the exact figures cannot be confirmed.point 75 | One of the survivors is a prominent director of the Bank of Punjab, Mr.point 133 | Zafar Masood.point 145 | Rescue officials were seen dragging him away from the intensely smoky rubble of the flight.point 222 |
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The pilot of the ill-fated airline signaled the control towers for help, after which it was given clearance to land on the runway.point 238 |
A voice recording released by Pakistani media officials showed the pilot claiming that he had lost control of one of the engines.point 108 | Minutes later, tragic reports started coming in, claiming the plane had crashed into a residential locality known as Model Colony.point 221 |
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With 108 passengers and crew members on board, eyewitnesses state the flight made a rather abrupt crash landing. The aircraft came down into a residential neighborhood, falling into and destroying 3 houses.
Rescue operations began immediately as relevant officials, including the military, rushed to the crash scene.point 219 |
Reports described how authorities faced difficulties in gaining access to the site, amidst the huge piles of rubble and giant fumes caused by the crash’s explosion.point 141 | Videos and photographs surfaced on the media, showing flaming rubble and scattered debris as well as the plane’s wrecked door.point 250 |
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The Pakistan International Airways Airbus A320-214, the same airline that crashed, uses engines of the CFM56 variant. This is manufactured by the firm CFM International, which is a joint venture of US’s General Electric as well as France’s Safran.
Further investigations as to the crash’s exact cause is underway, claimed authorities.