Pakistan

In pictures: PIA plane crashes on homes in Karachi

PIA flight PK8303 had 99 passengers and eight crew members on board during the time of the incident

News Desk May 22, 2020

Rescue workers gather at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area in Karachi. PHOTO: EXPRESS

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft, flying from Lahore to Karachi, crashed near the port city’s airport in the densely populated area of Model Colony on Friday.

PIA flight PK8303 had 99 passengers and eight crew members on board during the time of the incident. The crash caused significant damage in the residential area and reportedly destroyed four houses.

The plane was close to landing when it came down among houses, sparking an explosion and sending plumes of smoke into the air that could be seen from some distance away.

People stand on a roof of a house amidst debris of a passenger plane, crashed in a residential area near an airport in Karachi, May 22. PHOTO: REUTERS

Rescue workers gather at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS

Ambulances and fire brigade vehicles gather at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS

Rescue workers carry a victim at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS

New plane crash

A chopper flies over the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS

A man stands on the debris of a house at the site of a passenger plane crash in a residential area near an airport in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS

Firefighters spray water on the wreckage. PHOTO: AFP

A man looks at a part of the plane's debris. PHOTO: AFP

A view of rescue operations as a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger flight PK-303 carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members crashed near the Jinnah International Airport just before landing. PHOTO: APP

Army troops are aiding civil administration in carrying out relief work. PHOTO: EXPRESS

COMMENTS (1)

NASIR RIAZ | 4 years ago | Reply This crash is very tragic and it happening points towards a very pressing issue that Government needs to resolve. That pressing issue is of encroachments and illegal development of residential colonies in close vicinity of our airports. Developer mafia in collaboration with officials of development authorities somehow able to get N..O.C and develop housing schemes and commercial building in areas surrounding airports. Some of these housing schemes are not even part city master plan and yet they are promoted a prime locations on premium prices. I am sure when these airports were developed there was nothing around around them except fields. they were essentially outside the city and it was clearly visible while landing in old days. Now we can see clearly while landing on every major airport in Pakistan that how plane comes down and passes over very congested residential areas at low altitude while making approach to runway. Ideally there should be nothing under except fields and orchards in areas which are directly in line with runway landing and takeoff strips.

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