Pakistan: 97 killed, 2 survive PIA plane crash near Karachi; pilot's last words hailed tragedy

At least 97 people have died while two survived after an aircraft belonging to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crashed in a densely populated residential area near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi yesterday.

According to Pakistani media reports, it has now been confirmed by Sindh health officials that 97 out of the 99 people on-board died in the crash, while two passengers survived. The 99 people aboard the flight PK8303, which was en route from Lahore to Karachi, included 91 passengers and eight crew members.

As per reports, the pilot encountered technical difficulties with the landing gear while trying to land the plane. He had communicated about 'a technical difficulty' to the air traffic control moments before the aircraft crashed near the runway. Initial reports also suggested that the failure of the landing gear resulted in the crash.

Reportedly, just before the crash, the last words of the pilot were 'my plane has a fault', to which the Air Traffic Controller replied, 'just turn the plane and try to land'.

"The pilot was told that he could land at the Karachi airports, he was told that both the runways were ready, but he took a circle and gave a MayDay call before the crash,” a civil aviation official, Abdul Sattar Khohar, told Reuters. 

“The airplane first hit a mobile tower and crashed over houses,” a witness Shakeel Ahmed who was present near the site, just a few kilometers short of the airport, told Reuters.

According to other eyewitnesses, the Airbus A320 had attempted to land a few times before crashing in a residential area near the airport. Around 4-5 houses and 6-7 cars were destroyed in the crash.

The plane is said to be an Airbus A320. Video footage showed black smoke rising from the site of the crash.

Soon after the crash, the accident site was cordoned off by the army and an emergency declared in all major hospitals in Karachi. 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken to Twitter to offer condolences to the families of the deceased. "Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on the ground as this is the priority right now,” tweeted Imran Khan.

"Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased," he added.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts are currently underway as military personnel and rescue workers attempt to retrieve bodies from the debris.